Phantom in the Night

by Sherrilyn Kenyon

  Once Duff reached the last two deep-channel markers, he trimmed up the props on his twin outboards and guided the boat into shallower water just beyond the channel. He set the anchor, since the storm was fizzling as it moved offshore, sparing him from having to keep the boat turned into the wind. After cutting the engines, he cast two lines out on surf rods he inserted into holders at the stern of the boat.

  No bait dangled from either hook.

  Lightning crackled overhead. Water pellets tapped the deck and his face. He checked the anchor line once more, which was tight, and hurried down into the cabin where his treat waited.

  She was beautiful. Creamy skin, rosy lips, and a true blonde. He'd been disappointed once when the curtains hadn't matched the carpet, as his high school buddies used to joke.

  He ripped his T-shirt off and stepped out of his shorts, naked as the day he'd entered this world.

  Her eyes blinked open, then her gaze moved back and forth, frantically taking in her surroundings. She yanked against the ropes binding her wrists above her head. The nylon lengths were tied to a bracket he'd screwed and fiberglassed to the most forward point of the bulkhead.

  When her head lifted a few inches, she spied him. Her eyes rounded. "Let me go!"

  Never. Bullshit rules were for average men. He was a Fratelli de il Sovrano general, above bullshit rules. Besides, the Fra had all but given him autonomy to make his own decisions for now. That was the way Duff intended to interpret the Fra's instructions.

  He stepped closer to the custom bed he'd spent hours building so that almost the entire cabin was one big playground. He hated to bump his head in tight quarters.

  "Let me go, please!" She tried to kick and jerk her legs, but those elegant limbs were splayed wide, ankles secured with ropes, as well.

  "Did you really think 'let me go' would work?" He laughed.

  "Please don't do this." She was panting now, breasts heaving beautifully with each strained inhale and exhale. Exciting. But that wouldn't get him hard. Duff retrieved a fillet knife from its holder on the wall and tapped it against one leg. Thunder rumbled outside, drowning out her scream.

  "You don't remember meeting me, do you?"

  "Don't do this," she begged, eyes glazed with fear.

  If begging had worked in the past, he'd have been happy to find a woman who wanted to be dominated. Then he could have settled down with a wife and planned a family. That was some other lucky bastard's life.

  "What do you want?" She yanked against the bindings that cut her skin until she fell back, sobbing between babbled pleas.

  "I fully intend to tell you what I want, but let's not rush this, shall we? I've waited too long for my chance at you."

  * * *

  "Was she there?" Nathan asked Stoner. He held the cell phone in one hand while he swung the Javelin onto the road that led to the police lot with the container. Rain splattered the windshield the wipers slashed away.

  "No. Took me a little work chatting around the precinct, but I found out Terri left for the container an hour ago."

  Just what Nathan had been afraid of. "She should have been there by now. I'm almost to the lot." He sped down the road, then slowed when he approached the entrance, where squad cars were parked, praying he'd see her little Mini Cooper parked in the gravel lot.

  No car.

  Why did he think his luck would change now?

  "I've been trying her cell phone constantly, but all I get is her voicemail. Maybe she didn't go there first." Nathan zoomed past the entrance to the lot and found a place to turn around in the drive of a closed business. He let the car idle, thinking.

  Can't just drive around in circles.

  "I did hear something else at the station while they made me wait until someone could talk to me," Stoner interjected. "I managed to place two short-distance transmitters in strategic places while asking around for Terri so I could scan conversation through my cell phone. A cop named Sammy who guarded the container last night is missing. And the container was breached, too."

  "That means we shouldn't have to worry about that guy coming back to the container, but Marseaux is still out there gunning for Terri."

  "He's gunning for you, too."

  "I hope so. I want that bastard."

  "I know. I'll drive to her house to look for her car."

  "Okay. There are lights and uniforms moving around the container. I'm going inside this lot to see if I can determine if she's been here. If I don't find out anything in ten minutes, I'll head from here to her house on the same route she drove the other day." He didn't have to tell Stoner he would be searching for her abandoned car.

  The possibility of finding her empty car along the road wrenched his gut. Nathan slammed that mental door shut and focused on getting her back. He would not lose her.

  "If I don't hear from you by the time I reach her house, I'll be headed your way," Stoner finished.

  "I'll call you as soon as I get out of there." Nathan hung up and parked his car out of sight, then hiked to the police yard. The rain covered any noise he made. He located the fence opening he'd wired back and hidden the repair with a laced vine. Once he was inside, Nathan moved silently across the lot from point to point of cover until he was within earshot of the container.

  Water soaked through the hood of his sweatshirt jacket and ran down the sides of his face. He ignored the weather, intent on activity around the container.

  One officer walked around rubbing his hands, then used his flashlight to check his watch. His forehead creased with impatience. He took his glasses off and wiped them with a handkerchief, then stuck his head inside the open doorway to the container and said, "I'm going down to the guard shack for coffee. You want some?"

  A muffled "no" came back.

  "Be gone about ten minutes."

  "Go."

  The officer strolled down the incline in no real rush. So that probably meant he'd left another armed officer inside.

  Nathan had ten minutes to get a look at that container and find out if the cop inside knew if Terri had been there or not. The cop would think he was the guy who had broken in before. That alone might create enough fear Nathan wouldn't have to hurt him to get an answer.

  Battery-operated lights had been set up outside the container. Not the best scenario to stay covert, but he didn't have time to wait for a better situation, Terri's life could be at stake. He had to find someone who knew where she was or how to reach her.

  He took a circuitous route to reach the front without crossing the lighted area. One glance at the guard shack confirmed the second officer was in no rush to get back out here in the cold rain.

  Nathan eased around to the front of the container. The open door blocked the view of his body from the guard shack, which was bad planning on their part but a benefit for him. The light spilling out from the glow inside the container clicked off.

  Damn. Nathan had to catch the cop before he walked out of the box. He peeked inside the now dark container. Where was the cop? All Nathan could see was a flashlight someone had turned on and placed on the floor. A shoe-scuffing sound came from behind the stack of boxes next to the flashlight.

  Three long steps and Nathan reached the spot as the person stood up, pointing a weapon at him.

  "What in the hell are you doing here?" Terri hissed.

  "Shh! Don't make any noise," he ordered.

  "Noise? The only noise you're going to hear is my gun going off if you don't stop sneaking up me." She glared at him.

  What was she ticked about? What about what she'd put him through for the past hour? Nathan bit his tongue to keep from replying since the uniformed officer could be back any minute.

  "Hey, Terri?" The cop was back.

  Her eyes flashed from angry to worried in two seconds.

  For him? Damn, that worked.

  "Yes, Ed?" She looked all around her, then pointed a finger down at the spot between her and the two crates.

  Nathan crouched just as heavy footsteps crunched outs
ide the container.

  "How's it coming in here?"

  "Great. I'll be through soon," she answered.

  She was through now. Nathan cupped a hand around her leg and squeezed.

  When she shot him a quelling look, he smiled and mouthed the words, "Leave now."

  "The next shift is coming in any minute. Your car isn't ready. The mechanic said he can get his hands on the part first thing in the morning. Lucky for you it didn't start in the parking lot or you'd have been stuck on the highway. I can take you back to the precinct or give you a ride home. Your choice."

  Nathan squeezed her leg again to get her moving.

  She kicked his shin.

  He clenched his teeth against a curse, then decided on a quicker tactic to get her attention. He ran a hand up the inside of her leg to her left thigh and massaged the firm muscle.

  Her mouth fell open. She licked her lips and finally blurted out, "I'm ready… now."

  So was he after that comment.

  "Uh, how about warming up the car?" Terri told the officer.

  "Sure, I'll be right back to get you." His footsteps moved around.

  Nathan slid his fingers a little higher and she squeaked.

  The footsteps paused. The cop asked, "What, Terri?"

  She bared her teeth at Nathan. "I said, don't, uh, bother coming back. I'll lock up and be right down."

  "You've got one minute tops. Philborn called while I was down at the guard shack and reamed my ass over leaving you alone so long."

  He should. Nathan wouldn't have been so kind if she'd been harmed.

  "Okay," she said, breathless. But the second the footsteps faded, Terri slapped Nathan's hand away. "What do you think you're doing?" she seethed.

  "Getting you the hell out of here, now. Have him drop you at home. Pick up your car tomorrow."

  "Where are you going?"

  "To your house, too."

  "Good, because we've got a few things to discuss." She snatched up her tote and flashlight, then stopped at the door.

  Nathan was right behind her and leaned down to whisper, "I'll stay close until you're in the car."

  "You may want to keep your distance with the mood I'm in."

  He'd thought she was just caught off guard by him showing up here, but she sounded as though something else was going on.

  "I hear Ed coming back," she warned, still angry.

  Nathan melted away, keeping an eye on her while she locked the container and Ed escorted her back to his squad car.

  Once Nathan reached the Javelin, he called Stoner to let him know he'd found Terri. They agreed to touch base in the morning so Nathan could share what he'd learned from Jamie's USB stick. Terri was probably angry because Nathan had disrupted whatever she'd been doing, but he didn't care.

  Worrying about her had turned him inside out. All he could think of was her at the mercy of Marseaux, a man incapable of giving any mercy.

  Nathan clutched the steering wheel so tight with one hand his knuckles were white. She was safe in the car ahead.

  No matter what he told himself, he couldn't relax until he had her within reach.

  Starting now, Terri was staying by his side. He wouldn't listen to any argument.

  She was dancing to his music until this was over.

  * * *

  Terri thanked Ed and strode up her driveway. She had a few choice words for Nathan, who came very close to having his family jewels reset tonight. If Ed had seen them together she'd have never been able to explain Nathan. Philborn would hit the ceiling and BAD would… what? Kill her?

  Terri shook her head. Don't think about Tee's temper. She couldn't be that bad, could she? Terri had dodged Carlos twice today, promising information by tomorrow. He was probably expending a lot more energy on the India event since she hadn't come up with a solid lead in the Marseaux case yet, but she couldn't dodge him much longer without causing suspicion.

  At her back door, Nathan appeared.

  She jumped. "Dammit, would you stop doing that?"

  "Sure. If you agree not to scare me out of a year's growth again."

  An edge cut across his words. Terri unlocked the door and eyed Nathan. What was he upset about? As if he had any reason to be. She had an investigation that had jumped track, missing container contents, a missing cop, and a possible attack of some sort happening by Monday if Conroy's guess was on the mark.

  If she knew who was planning the attack, what kind of attack to expect, and the location or persons targeted, she could alert the proper agencies. But as it was, she couldn't even clue in BAD, because Conroy had convinced her the people behind this secret attack had infiltrated law enforcement at many levels. DEA, FBI, local police… who was to say they weren't in BAD?

  Until she found the source or firm information on the attack, she couldn't risk sharing with the wrong person in a law-enforcement group who would kill her.

  Terri made two steps inside the kitchen, where the vent light burned, dropped her purse on the table, and swung around to give Nathan a piece of her mind.

  He slapped the door shut and walked toward her.

  "You put me on the spot tonight." She wanted her gripe on the table first.

  "You scared the hell out of me tonight." He didn't slow down until he pulled her into his arms and kissed her.

  And, boy, did he kiss her.

  Terri was lost from the second his fingers touched her. She forgot her anger, forgot the floor beneath her feet since she seemed to be floating on her tiptoes. His lips roamed over hers, urgent, desperate. She had no idea why he'd changed his mind, but she wasn't arguing.

  Her heart pounding, she rubbed up against him, daring him to back away. Nathan's sharp intake of breath only encouraged her to do it again.

  Terri ran a hand down to his chest until she felt his heart slamming against her palm. She pulled away. "What's wrong?"

  "I couldn't find you tonight. You didn't answer your phone. Thought Marseaux had you." The savage fury in his eyes should have scared her, but she knew it wasn't directed at her. He'd been scared she was hurt, or worse.

  He cared for her. He'd lost so much she could see how he wouldn't want to feel anything for another person again, which had to be fueling his anger.

  "I'm sorry, my phone died on me. I got mad and pitched it into the passenger floorboard. Then the car wouldn't crank and I was in a rush to get to the container, so I forgot my phone in the car." She kissed his face, neck, lips.

  He hesitated. She sensed the war that went on inside him to do the honorable thing and back away. Not if she had anything to say about it, and she fully intended to have her say. Terri would find a way to sort out his situation and save him from himself.

  She wouldn't let him just slip away into the night. He'd lived in the dark too long and deserved the light. She grabbed a fist of sweatshirt on each side of his jacket and pulled him to her. "Touch me. Everywhere."

  Nathan swallowed at her command. Don't say that. He clung to a sliver of flimsy control when it came to Terri. He hadn't meant to touch her at all, but the minute he'd walked into the house and faced her, all hope of staying away from this woman had been lost.

  Her lips brushed his.

  He could use a little help right now.

  "Don't you want me?" She whispered it so closely, he felt the words slide across his skin, branding him with her desire.

  She had to ask if he wanted her with a raging hard-on shoved up between them? Nathan opened his eyes and stared into the face of passion.

  Back away. Back away. Now.

  He'd wanted her since the first time he'd inhaled her scent and last night had only increased the level of that want. She smelled like a lifetime of gifts all wrapped in soft skin and sweetness, Nathan teetered closer to the edge, debating, searching for the strength to give her up.

  She uttered, "I'm hot and wet for you."

  All the blood in his body rushed to his groin to celebrate.

  The fall this time came faster and harder.

/>   He wrapped his arms tighter and lifted her up, lips meeting in a smoldering kiss that might never end. Her arms locked around his neck, drawing him closer and closer to the flame.

  She wanted him now, in the dark of night, but what about later when the sun invaded their world again?

  Terri moaned against his mouth, then growled demands he couldn't refuse. He'd worry about later when her lips weren't honing a razor-sharp need that ripped across his skin.

  He backed her up to the wall and shoved her arms above her head. The fierce kiss spiraled out of orbit, along with his ability to reason and think. She curved her body up against his, rubbing his erection, which pulsed with each touch.

  Nathan released her arms and shed her jacket, then unbuttoned her shirt, letting the material fall loose.

  The sight of her body, dusted with light, this time really took his breath away.

  Lush curves, supple skin, perfect breasts. She was a real woman and spectacular.

  Terri reached for his shirt, lifting it up madly. He held her face in the palms of his hand and kissed her, lost in the feel of her mouth on his. His zipper ripped open and she drifted away, shoving his jeans down.

  His muscles clenched at the wild race of her hands over his skin, but he sure as hell wasn't going to complain.

  She slipped her fingers inside his shorts and inched them down while kissing his abdomen and teasing his belly button with her tongue. She cupped his erection, lifting gently, then brushing her finger over the wet tip.

  Nathan slapped both hands on the wall above her and fought to keep from coming, then caught his breath.

  She grasped his sac in her other hand and slowly rotated her fingers.

  He hissed and clenched against the surge in his groin. He reached for her, sliding her up the wall until she stood again, releasing him.

  "I want you, want this, but if I don't stop now and get a condom… it won't happen."