Knock Em Dead (Supernatural Security Force Book 2)

by Heather Hildenbrand

  “You’re not coming up?” Milo asked when I left the engine running.

  I glanced at Jax. He’d calmed since that moment in the alley, but his hand was tight in mine, and something about the way he avoided Milo’s gaze told me this wasn’t just my imagination.

  “I need to take care of something,” I said.

  Milo got out and walked around to my open window. “Say no more.” He winked. “I’ll have my mom keep an eye on Fergie a bit longer.”

  “Thanks,” I told him.

  “I’m going to spend some quality time with my great-granddaughter.” Gran buzzed through the open window and followed Milo toward the apartment.

  “Let Mom know I’m all right,” I called to Gran.

  “Already done,” she called back though I had no idea how she’d pulled that off without a phone or opposable thumbs.

  I drove us to Jax’s house in silence. The guards at his gate let us in without a word, and I parked in the attached garage. Only then did Jax let go of my hand as we both climbed out.

  He led the way inside.

  I half-expected him to stop in the living room and pour me a drink like he’d done the first time I was here. But he continued down the hall without bothering to make sure I still followed.

  He disappeared through the last door on the right, and I hesitated.

  My belly felt full of butterflies.

  There was no reason to be this nervous. No reason not to do…whatever happened next between us. But my thoughts flitted to Adrik, and I knew that last part was a lie.

  I had a reason.

  Unfortunately, that “reason” was nothing more than unresolved feelings. Certainly not enough to turn down Jax…right?

  My heart hammered as I stepped into the master bedroom.

  A large four-poster bed stood against one wall. A matching dresser was pressed against another. In the mirror over the dresser, I caught sight of my reflection.

  I was a mess. Hair tangled. Makeup smudged. Clothes torn.

  Sighing, I looked at Jax, who stood in the center of the room, and it was clear from his expression that he saw none of that.

  “Come here,” he said.

  I swallowed hard, my legs feeling suddenly liquidy.

  When I got close, he reached for my hand and pulled it up to rest on his chest. Beneath my fingers, his heartbeat was strong.

  “You scared me today,” he said quietly.

  “I scared myself a little,” I admitted.

  “You’re not what I expected.”

  “I could say the same about you.”

  My palm was sweaty now. What the hell was happening? I felt fifteen again, navigating my first encounter alone in a bedroom with a boy.

  Jax’s head dipped low, and I tensed in anticipation of his mouth touching mine. But he only paused, hovering there, eyes searching.

  “Do you want to kiss me?” I whispered.

  “I want to do more than that,” he said, and just the idea of it sent heat pooling low in my belly. His eyes glittered with delicious intentions. “I want to kiss you in places no one has ever kissed you before.”

  My nipples hardened at the mere suggestion. As if he could read my mind, his hand landed on my hip and he pulled me closer. Holy predator. . .

  “But what do you want, Gem?”

  I blinked. “I want you.”

  Between us, the air thickened with the scent of our desire.

  “I wanted to kill for you today,” he said roughly.

  “I know. You saved me.”

  He shook his head like I’d misunderstood. “That’s never happened. Not to me. Not to my beast. When I saw that werewolf about to sink its teeth into you, I wanted to tear down the world to get to you. To make him hurt for even attempting it.”

  His words scared me. Sex was one thing, but a protective desire from his panther was serious. I tried to hear what he wasn’t saying, to read between the lines, but all I could think about was getting naked together. My fae senses, the magic overload from earlier—all of it sent my head spinning. I slid my hands up and over his shoulder, cupping his neck.

  Jax pressed closer.

  “If we do this,” he said, an edge to his voice now. “I need to know you’re mine. Only mine.”

  My mouth went dry. I hadn’t been expecting that.

  I licked my lips, and Jax’s eyes darted down to track the movement. His grip on my hip tightened.

  Shit. This mattered.

  When had we gone from flirting and making out to full-blown monogamy? We hadn’t even been on a date yet.

  “I…” My head swam with the ultimatum.

  Jax sighed.

  He closed the distance, brushing his lips over mine in a feathery kiss. Before I could respond, he pulled back and stepped away. I rocked onto my heels at the sudden absence of his hands on my body.

  “Towels are in the closet,” he said quietly. “And you’re welcome to any of the clothing in the dresser. I’ll make us something to eat while you get cleaned up.”

  He strode out, leaving me speechless and sexually frustrated beyond anything I’d ever experienced before.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Showering alone in Jax’s very masculine-scented bathroom gave me the female equivalent of blue balls. He was definitely playing dirty. Getting me back for not agreeing to his offer. And what exactly was the offer anyway? Was he asking me to go steady? Did adults do that anymore? I sighed as I dried my hair. Maybe not normal adults, but Jax was an alpha shifter, and I knew damn well what his admission earlier meant.

  He wanted to claim me.

  That was a whole different level from going steady.

  That was like . . . permanent.

  No guy had ever wanted that with me before. And even if they had, none of them would have tempted me to say yes. But Jax—just a simple look from him made my toes curl. And as much as he liked to joke about Fergie, the way he took care of her—of me—made it clear what kind of partner he would be. With him, I’d always feel safe. And I’d damn sure never be bored.

  I shook off the crazy butterflies batting at my stomach and padded back into the bedroom, searching the dresser for something appropriate.

  Jax’s dresser.

  Dammit. Everything in it smelled like him.

  And that was the point.

  My eyes narrowed as I pulled on a gray tee and navy sweatpants. The hot panther pheromones clinging to the fabric left me dizzy.

  Jax was definitely going to pay for this.

  Braless and barefoot, I made my way to the kitchen.

  Jax stood with his back against the counter. He looked up as I entered and gave me a quick once-over, his dark eyes lingering on my chest where I already knew my nipples were hard against the thin fabric.

  Two could play at this game.

  “Have you heard from Milo?” I asked, my voice light and innocent.

  “He’s on his way with Fergie,” Jax said distractedly, eyes still glued to my breasts.

  I cleared my throat.

  Jax blinked. “My security detail has been informed to let them in.”

  “Thanks.”

  “How are you feeling?” he asked when he’d finally dragged his gaze back to my face.

  “Better,” I admitted. “Hungry.”

  “Food’s just arrived.” He nodded at the takeout on the kitchen table. The same table where I’d patched Adrik up—and kissed him. Shit. It wasn’t a good idea to be thinking about another guy while Jax wanted to jump my bones.

  I focused on the Chinese food.

  My stomach grumbled in anticipation.

  The first bite had me biting back a moan. Even so, Jax shot me a questioning look. “It’s good,” I said around a mouthful of spring roll.

  Jax’s lips quirked. He leaned in and swiped his thumb across the corner of my mouth.

  “You had a little something…”

  The air between us crackled with tension.

  I swallowed the food, and our eyes locked.

 
Now, I was hungry for a different kind of egg roll.

  “Jax,” I whispered.

  “Yes?”

  “I want…” My words stalled. My heart raced.

  Jax looked ready to pounce on me. But I couldn’t make myself say the words he wanted to hear.

  Fear and desire warred inside me.

  “Mama!”

  Jax and I jumped to our feet.

  “I didn’t realize I was interrupting,” Milo said, amused as he glanced between us. He held Fergie, who was straining to get loose from his arms now that she’d spotted me.

  “You’re just in time, actually.” Jax took her from Milo, placing her in my arms. “Food’s just arrived.”

  Milo’s eyes lit on the takeout. “Don’t mind if I do.”

  He took a seat and dug in.

  “Where’s Gran?” I asked.

  “She went to check on your mom,” Milo said around a bite of egg roll. “She said to tell you to wait for her before breaking any more laws.”

  I rolled my eyes.

  “Any problems getting here?” Jax asked.

  Milo shook his head. “Not for me. But our mad dash from the Delta building wasn’t the only headline either. There were two separate demon attacks in the city today. And three supes reported missing under suspicious circumstances. The SSF is talking about issuing a heightened alert.”

  “What does that mean?” Jax asked with a frown.

  “Increase in patrols,” Milo explains.

  “And a curfew,” I added.

  “For supes or the whole city?” Jax asked.

  “Everyone. They’ll use human law enforcement to do it. Blame the crimes on human violence. Makes it easier to patrol and track down the demons.”

  “And makes it harder for us to move around,” Jax said.

  I sighed. “That’s probably their secondary goal.”

  “We’ll have to lay low here,” Jax said. “For now, they don’t know I’m involved. The longer we can keep it that way, the safer you are here.”

  “Rigo knows,” I pointed out.

  Jax cursed. “I knew I should have killed that asshole.”

  Milo responded, and the two of them fell into a conversation about agency protocols for heightened alerts. The checkpoints, the home searches that would come next. I didn’t want to think about what would happen if they came looking for me here and found Fergie.

  The greater demons were a huge problem. So was whoever was creating portals and letting them in—a mystery I hoped to solve using that tracking device I’d put on Raguel. Not to mention my fugitive status. But in the middle of all that, I was determined not to let them hurt my baby.

  I hadn’t forgotten Starla’s assignment either. Somewhere, there was a list of names the SSF intended to use as fall guys so they could cover up their own crimes. I needed that list. Not just for Starla but for my own investigation. It was the only lead I had. Except, there was no lead because I had no idea where to look.

  While the guys discussed possible next steps or new safe houses, I focused on Fergie, who was running her little T-rex fingers through my wet, tangled hair.

  “Mama,” she said again, and a tiny spark of motherly joy bloomed in my heart.

  “Finally, it’s not all about your dad anymore.” I smiled at her, and she grinned back at me then promptly burped in my face.

  “Ugh. Her breath is terrible. What did you feed her?” I demanded.

  “Mom gave her some raw pork chops.” Milo winced. “And after that, we found her drinking out of the toilet.”

  Jax laughed, but when he caught sight of my expression, his smile turned quickly to a disapproving frown. “No drinking from toilets,” he said to Fergie, wagging his finger at her.

  “Music,” Fergie said.

  Jax grinned. “You want to hear your song?”

  “Music,” she said again.

  He pulled out his phone and hit play on Fergalicious.

  Fergie squirmed until I set her on her feet where she broke into a terrible attempt at twerking.

  I shook my head. “This is embarrassing,” I told Jax. “For both of you.”

  Milo laughed, clapping along to the beat.

  “You’re encouraging this?” I groaned. “Unbelievable.”

  Milo and Jax shared an amused look.

  “Okay, hold it right there. You two don’t even know each other well enough to do the whole bro-eyed silent conversation thing.”

  “Bro-eyed?” Jax repeated.

  Milo snorted. “She’s insecure.”

  “I am not—”

  “Tell me about it,” Jax agreed.

  I glared at both of them, debating the pros and cons of shifting into something poisonous. Or at the very least, something smelly. “I will shift into a cat in heat and spray this entire room until you both vomit.”

  Milo groaned.

  But Jax just grinned. “Sweetheart, I think you’ve already done your worst.”

  My face flushed, and Milo nearly choked on a laugh he tried holding in.

  Movement in the doorway made us all look up at once.

  Jax snarled, but my panic gave way to relief at the sight of Adrik.

  I pushed to my feet, scanning him for injuries. But he looked no worse off than he’d been before. “Tony?” I asked.

  “Is safe.”

  I exhaled.

  “Where is he?”

  “He’s at my office. So is Wolfrick.”

  I frowned despite my relief. “The townhouse? Doesn’t SSF and the council know about that place?”

  “No.” He looked away, hesitating as he watched Fergie continue to booty shake. “It’s off their radar. I made sure of it when I chose it.”

  A dozen questions landed on the tip of my tongue. Not to mention the fact that I needed to explain my demon baby currently shaking her money-maker in front of a Neph sworn to kill her kind.

  “I put a tracking device on Raguel,” I said. “As soon as he leads us to the portals, we can call the rest of the council and prove he’s the one letting the demons in.”

  “Raguel’s not behind the portals,” Adrik said wearily.

  “How can you be sure?” I demanded. “After today, especially. He almost killed me.”

  “He was putting on a show,” he said. I shook my head, ready to argue. “Raguel doesn’t care about the portals. He’s too busy experimenting on supes to summon demons.”

  I stared back at him; all of my questions replaced by anger. “Of course he is. And here you are knowing things and refusing to share. There’s always more secrets with you.”

  Adrik’s expression twisted as if he were wrestling with something. “I don’t want to put you in more danger.”

  “What are you worried about most?” I asked. “That they’ll hurt me or that you will?”

  Even Fergie fell silent at that.

  Milo pushed to his feet. “We’ll just give you some privacy.”

  He started for the door, and though Jax made no move to follow, I stopped them.

  “No, stay. We all need to come clean. Lay our cards on the table if we’re going to work together.”

  “I don’t work with teams,” Adrik said, tearing his gaze from Fergie long enough to glare at Jax.

  Jax growled back.

  My temper flashed, and I pushed to my feet, stalking toward Adrik. “I don’t recall requesting to work with you at all. But here we are. And your secrets are holding me back. Remember me? The girl you lied to and then used to steal a murder suspect from a crime scene. The only one of us now a wanted fugitive.”

  Jax growled at the word “used,” but Adrik only shook his head.

  “You’re not the only one,” he said.

  I frowned. “What do you mean?”

  “After today, Milo’s now added to the list. Wanted for questioning. Aiding and abetting.” He glanced at Jax and added, “You’re not far behind if Rigo Garcia has anything to say about it.”

  “Shit,” Milo and Jax said in unison.

  “S
hit,” Fergie repeated.

  Adrik went on. “And so am I.”

  I stared at him, a little shocked. “They turned on you? But I thought they were pardoning you.”

  He snorted. “Raguel’s just pissed I kicked his ass.”

  “You went up against Raguel?” Jax asked, clearly impressed despite trying to hide it.

  “Gave him a busted nose and a black eye.” Adrik’s expression darkened. “Believe me, I wish I’d done more, but there was no time.” He glanced at me.

  “Thanks for that,” I said, realizing I hadn’t said it earlier. “If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have made it out.”

  More like I wouldn’t still be breathing.

  Semantics.

  He merely shrugged, but Jax shot him a look of grudging gratitude.

  “Okay, so we’re all burned,” I said. “Which means it’s more important than ever that we work together. I’ll go first. My dad was murdered, and the agency covered it up. Before he died, my father uncovered a string of unauthorized portals being used to summon greater demons into the city. Those demons are killing innocent people, and the agency is covering it up, pinning the crimes on innocent supes.

  “Two days ago, the council ordered a wipeout of a city block to cover their tracks. Which means whoever’s behind this is on the Nephilim council. Am I missing anything? Oh yeah. My darling demon child ate my neighbor for dinner the other night.”

  Milo snorted.

  Adrik’s eyes widened, and I realized he hadn’t yet guessed Fergie’s guilt in Patrice’s death.

  “It was an accident,” I added, and Adrik simply shook his head.

  In the silence that followed, Fergie tugged on my pant leg, pointed to Jax’s phone, and said, “My humps.”

  This girl was going to win me the worst parenting award.

  “Jax, your turn,” I said when no one else spoke up.

  He scowled. “I doubt I have anything to contribute.”

  I crossed my arms. “You knew about the demon murders and that Lester was being framed even before I did,” I said. “You also knew exactly where to find me, or more importantly, where to find Fergie’s demon M-O-M.” I spelled the words just in case. Who knew what the little rug rat remembered about her birth?

  He sighed. “I told you. I knew about Lester because your father came to see me.”