I panted harder and faster.
His fingers dug into my waist, coasting over my hips as his hand slid lower and guided my thighs wide. His grunts filled my ears. Our slick bodies moved in unison. He buried himself once more inside me and then we shattered. Our mouths met as we let the silent shockwaves consume us.
“I can’t move,” he whispered. “You feel too good.”
“I don’t want you to go anywhere,” I answered.
Was there a way to make him feel safe? To hold him long enough? Love him hard enough? I wanted him to know this relationship was still give and take. He could lean on me. He could count on me. I would be here no matter how dark things became. When we were together like this, we could block the darkness out. I did have the strength to shield him. That was something I had learned over the past five years. I didn’t believe in myself enough before, but wasn’t that same girl. The woman I had become could carry his burdens. I could fight to keep the darkness out of our bed.
“Do you want to talk about it?” I asked. “I’ll just listen.”
I sighed when he pressed deeper inside me, singing our skin together.
“Tomorrow, babe. We’ll talk tomorrow.”
He kissed my shoulder softly and we fell asleep.
Twenty-One
The next morning, we showered and ordered breakfast. It was hard to tell if we were in a hurry or trying to slow things down.
We sat on the balcony, drinking dark chicory. AJ wore aviators. I wrapped a sweater around my shoulders to protect against the chill.
“What time is Agent Canson supposed to arrive?” If I could delay the meeting any longer I would.
AJ glanced at his watch. “We have a few hours. His plane lands at 11am.”
The sun had barely risen over the city’s buildings. I settled into my chair. I knew what was supposed to happen next.
“Well, who goes first?” I asked.
He sighed. “There’s a lot to sort through. More information we need to talk about.” He looked better than when he had arrived in the middle of the night.
As tired as I was, I was excited to tell him about what I had discovered. “I have a lead,” I butted in before he could explain further. “On where the phone was purchased that sent the text.”
He pulled his shades forward. “How did you get that?”
I shrugged. “I was locked in this giant suite all night. I had to do something. Those thugs you call FBI agents wouldn’t let me go boutique shopping.”
He grinned. “So you hacked?”
“I had to look for him. I couldn’t just sit here, AJ. I had to do something.”
“It’s not an accusation. I’m glad you started taking control. You agree with me that it wasn’t Ethan Howard?”
“I wish I had realized it from the beginning. I think I was so hung up on having a clue about my mom that I saw Cindy in the text and just ran with it. It was so obvious when I listened to the conversation with Ethan. Besides that, he just didn’t seem like that kind of person. He’s very private.”
“I don’t know the man, but I listened and putting that with what you told me about him it didn’t add up. So tell me, what did you find?”
This was the part I was proud of. It had taken several hours, but I had tracked down the store. “The phone was purchased at a home goods store in Richmond, Virginia.”
“You can buy phones at the same place you buy pillows?”
I took a sip of coffee. “Sometimes there are electronic gadgets by the front register. You’d be surprised what you can find up there. Anyway, the phone was in Richmond.”
“Do you know anyone who lives there or used to live there?” he asked.
“No.” I shook my head. “Not that I know of.”
“Of course, I-95 runs right through the city. Anyone could have stopped on their way in or out of the city.”
I twisted my lips together. “You don’t think it’s much of a lead.”
“I didn’t say that, babe. It’s something. We know one more location the stalker has traveled through. That is something we didn’t have before now. I’m glad you did it.”
I smiled slightly. “You are?”
“I am.”
We drank our coffee, listening to cars pass below us. I thought I heard the bell on one of the trolleys.
“What happened to you last night? What took so long? Those agents are complete dicks. They wouldn’t tell me anything. I had no idea if you were even still in the hotel. They said it was classified.”
I saw the way he gritted his teeth when I asked the question.
“Let’s just say I got my ass handed to me.”
“What? Why?” My cup rattled on the saucer.
“I haven’t exactly followed protocol.”
“So what happened? Are you in trouble? Are they going to take you off the case?” I was attacked by a new kind of nervousness. “They can’t do that. You were just trying to keep me safe. You saved my life. They know that, right?”
“Hey, hey. It didn’t get that far. I can stay on. I have to stay on because of Project Compass.”
The knots in my stomach slackened. “Thank God. I can’t do this without you. I wouldn’t help them for one second if they tried to take you off the case. They need to know that. It’s a package deal and nothing else.” I felt justified in my defiance.
I noticed he wasn’t saying much.
“There’s more, isn’t there?” I realized nothing he said came near to details of a classified meeting. Also, there was no reason to keep him until 4am just to lecture him on FBI procedures.
“You’re leaving something out.”
“Syd…”
“Oh God, what is it?” Nothing good was going to come out of his mouth.
“You might change your mind about wanting me to stay on the case.”
I blinked. “I would never do that. I need you. We’re in this together.”
“Babe, I have new intelligence. The classified meeting that went into the night…” His gaze drifted away and then back. “It’s going to change things.”
“I don’t care. We are a team. You and me. No matter what happens. No matter what creepy stalker guy is after me. No matter what Jack tries to do next. The Project Compass problem. None of it matters. This is the team.”
I realized when we had dated five years ago I thought AJ and I were a team. A team like other couples. Rooting for each other at work. Listening to each other’s family problems. Trading off movie choices and which restaurants we ordered take out from. I cheered when his team played soccer, even in the snow. He went to my work events as the perfect polished date. That was how I defined team. Now we were a team in a way that few partnerships ever knew existed. We relied on each other. We protected each other. We shared information. Together we were going to identify my stalker and take him down. We were on a higher level of closeness—one I never would have imagined five years ago. One we never could have achieved any other way than to be tossed into the darkness together.
“Will you hear me out? Hear everything I have to say?” AJ pressed. “This is important.”
“Of course I will. I already promised I won’t leave again. Ever.” My pulse raced. I didn’t like his tone. I didn’t like the tenseness gripping his face. Something was wrong.
“I always intended to tell you.”
“Tell me what?” I leaned closer to the edge of the patio chair.
“It doesn’t change anything that has happened this week. Do you believe that? I need you to know that before I say anything else. Do you believe me?”
My brows knitted together. I couldn’t imagine what this was about. No one had experienced what we had. Nothing could change how I felt about him. We had forgiven each other for so much. There was nothing the FBI could reveal that would change my love for AJ. I had always loved AJ.
“Of course I do. Everything is different this time. I know it is. You know it is.”
He exhaled. “Please, Syd. Just don’t run.”
Twenty-Two
I wanted to see his eyes. It always made me feel better when I could look into the sea of midnight I loved so much.
“Can you take off your sunglasses before you start? Please? Just look at me.”
AJ reached for the side of his face.
“Agent Hart! Agent Hart! We have to get you out of here now. Move, move, move!”
I screamed when I heard the agents barreling through our suite. I stared at AJ, panicked and frozen. He jumped from the seat.
Within seconds his arm was around my shoulder shuttling me through the bedroom. We ran through the suite, surrounded by FBI agents carrying guns.
“What’s going on?” AJ asked.
“Bomb threat. We have to clear the floor immediately,” the agent fired back. “We’re taking you and Ms. Miller to a safe house. We need to get you out of the hotel.”
My head spun. It happened so fast. Agents filled every corner of our room. I had no idea there were this many of them on-site.
“Bomb?” I choked out the word.
“Fuck,” AJ groaned. He didn’t seem as alarmed as I was.
“I can’t leave all my stuff.” I ran back to the bedroom. My hands stretched out for my laptop and the recorder, when AJ stopped me.
“I’ll get it. You go with the agents,” AJ replied.
“No.” I refused to move another inch. “We’re not getting separated again. I don’t trust them. I’m not leaving here without you. I’ll just have to get blown up.”
“Agent Hart, we’ve got to clear the floor now.”
“Hold on,” he growled. He tossed our clothes in his bag and collected my electronics. I watched in horror as everything was shoved in. There wasn’t time to check the room for items that might be left behind.
“Agent Hart! Now!”
AJ threw the pack on his shoulder and pushed me ahead.
“Come on, we’ve got to get out of here,” he urged. “Just do what they tell you to do. They’re following procedure now for this kind of thing.”
“Who made the threat?” I asked as we jogged down the hallway. We headed for the stairs instead of the elevator.
I saw guests roaming out of their rooms wearing robes and slippers. Everyone looked confused.
“I have a guess,” he answered.
We descended from the stairwell, passing one floor level after another. The agents flanked us from the front and rear. It seemed like at any second they could lunge into me and send me toppling over the side. The only thing keeping me steady was AJ’s strong grip against my palm. He had me.
We reached the bottom landing.
“We have an unmarked car at the back of the building. Let’s move.” One agent motioned to another.
AJ kept me close to his side as we emerged from the hotel. It felt like we were dumped into the backseat of the SUV and the car sped away from the exit.
I exhaled. “What in the hell is going on?”
AJ pulled the aviators from his face. He ran his hands through his hair. “He knows you’re here. And he just pushed you out into the open. Damn it.” He slammed his fist into the seat.
The chill spread through my body like creeks extending off a lake. I was consumed by it. It flooded my veins and seeped into my bones.
“Shit, Syd. You’re shaking.”
“I’m fine,” I lied.
He called to the driver, “Where is the safe house? How far out are we?”
“It’s inside the city, Agent Hart. We’ll be there in a few minutes.”
I glanced at AJ. “That’s good, right?”
“We’re going to get to the bottom of this. If we’re in a safe house, you’re still going to have round-the-clock surveillance. The FBI is doing what we need them to do. They are protecting you. I promised you that.”
“But you think he did this? The stalker called in the bomb threat? But why? There’s a complete chaos back there. The hotel was going nuts.”
“That’s my leading theory right now. He didn’t like that he didn’t have access to you. He couldn’t get on the penthouse level.”
We turned down a side alley. Giant ferns draped over the iron balconies above our heads. The car stopped.
“But does that mean I’m not as safe here?” I asked before the car door opened. “Should we check into another hotel?”
“I think we’ve at least bought some time. A few days minimum. You’ll be undercover here. We’ll get ahead of him. I swear.”
I gripped AJ’s arm. “Can’t we just leave? Let’s get on a flight. Or rent a car and drive. Maybe we’re better off in D.C. Nothing every happened to me there.” Part of me wanted to run home and crawl into my own bed. It was instinct to need to get home.
He shook his head. “Canson is headed here. You still have to debrief. You’re needed here. You can’t leave New Orleans. And until I know it’s safe, I’m not taking you from here.”
“Because of fucking Project Compass.”
“It’s all a fucking spider web. I know that.”
The agent opened the door.
“Ms. Miller.”
I stepped out of the car. AJ walked around the back of the SUV and met me on the sidewalk.
I faced the faded pale blue door in front of me. The house was attached to a row of other houses. I knew once I walked through there, the FBI was going to get exactly what they wanted from me. And I didn’t have a choice.
I exhaled. I made a decision.
As of today, I was going to sign on for Project Compass. I wasn’t going to be anyone’s victim any longer. No more threats. I was going to be the one on the inside. I was going to take back the power I knew I deserved.
Twenty-Three
It was impossible for us to have a private conversation once we were inside the safe house. Between the phone calls and the agents assigned to monitor the situation, AJ and I weren’t left alone in the same room. He was pulled into the logistical discussions, while I tried to make sense of what happened at the Ritz.
It was impossible to let myself relax. It seemed as soon as I felt safe, the thin net was yanked out from underneath me. Maybe that was the plan. Keep me running. Keep me terrified.
I wanted to tell him about Project Compass. I wanted him to know before the debrief began with Agent Canson. I was in. I would join the special elite team. I’d help the FBI track down Jack and the other monsters on the black web, but I had a list of demands.
I wanted to control the search for my stalker. I was going to run the operation from this side of my computer screen. I realized last night how much confidence it gave me when I traced the serial number for the burner phone. I was no longer the target. I could reclaim a part of myself that the bastard had tried to steal.
I knew AJ would support my negotiation, but I only wanted five minutes to tell him before we were locked in interviews all day.
I tried to lie down and close my eyes. I had a massive headache. I could hear AJ talking to another agent in the kitchen. I pushed off the bed and wandered into the bathroom to look for ibuprofen or something else to take.
The house was surprisingly stocked with every necessity. It was in much better shape than the farmhouse. I found an unopened bottle in the medicine cabinet and filled a glass full of water. I dropped the two tablets on my tongue.
“Syd?”
I spun around. AJ was in the doorway. I wanted to fall into his lips and kiss him. For a moment I wanted it to be just us. I wanted to pretend we were on a romantic getaway in a romantic city. The safe house was a surprise AirBNB AJ had secretly planned. That scenario was far more appealing than the reality.
“Hi.” I smiled. “I can’t get rid of this headache.”
“Well, this isn’t going to help. Agent Canson is here.”
“Already? But I wanted to talk to you about something.”
He shoved his hands in his pockets. “He got in a little early.”
“Do I have to talk to him now?” I pleaded. I replaced the cap on the ibuprofen bottle.
&
nbsp; “I’m afraid so. He’s acting under the director’s orders.”
My eyes dropped to the marble floor. “All right. Can you give me a minute?”
“Sure. I’ll let him know you’re almost ready.”
“AJ, wait.”
His hand rested on the doorknob. “What is it?” I heard the fatigue in his voice.
“We were in the middle of something before we were evacuated.”
He shook his head. “Not now. We’ll have to have that conversation later.”
“But what was it?” Maybe there was time to listen to him. I was worried about the amount of stress and pressure he was under.
“We can’t start this conversation now. You said you have something you want to tell me too.”
“Yes. I want you to hear it first.”
He crossed the floor, wrapping his arms to the small of my back. “How about this? We get all your debriefs taken care of today. Everything. Answer all Canson’s questions so we can kick the man out on the street. Tonight, we’ll order something from one of these French restaurants. Your choice. New Orleans has the best food. We’ll turn this place into a French bistro. I’ll light some candles. We’ll open a bottle of wine.” I was practically purring in his arms. “Then we’ll talk, Syd. We’ll tell each other everything. Absolutely every last detail. We’ll talk until the vampires in this city have to go to bed. How does that sound?”
I smiled. “It sounds kind of amazing right now. Just the two of us? You promise?” I had the same kind of butterflies I did when he asked me out for the first time.
“Just the two of us.”
I slid my hands along his neck. I knew if I had that to look forward to, I could tackle anything in front of me today.
My fingers interlaced against his skin. I looked in his black gaze. His lips brushed against mine. I knew we were about to unleash everything consuming us. The kiss was sinful. It was desperate. I clung to him as if it was the last breaths we’d take. Our tongues lashed wickedly. I couldn’t stop the moan that came out as strangled cry. I didn’t want it to end. I tried to grab a fistful of his hair as he lifted me to the bathroom counter.
Shattered Hart: Hart Pursuit Trilogy Book 2 Page 9