“No local law enforcement?” Brown asked, and Kreed shook his head.
“I’ll track Stuart closely. And I’ve read that anything electronic can become surveillance.” Kreed stopped and looked over at Aaron for confirmation. When Aaron did nothing more than give him the death stare, he took that as a thumbs up. “We can all keep an eye on him and gather intelligence,” Kreed told Brown and Connors.
“I want access to every bit of data in real time,” Connors stated.
“Of course. That’s critical to the success,” Kreed affirmed. Connors bit at his nail, his gaze locked on Kreed’s before he turned toward the wall of pictures. Half those men had lost their lives and this was the closest lead they had.
“We have to get it right,” Connors commented, still staring at the pictures.
“Do I have a say in this at all?” Aaron finally asked. For the first time ever, Kreed and Connors had easily agreed on a plan of action, but Aaron kept throwing little wrenches in their system.
“No,” all three said in unison. After several moments of silence, Kreed finally addressed Aaron’s concern. “If we can wrap this up, you won’t ever have to hear from us again.”
“Well, that’s an incentive,” he added dryly.
“Pull up the information you have on Redemption Apostle Tabernacle. Let’s get started. Looks like we’ll have a long night ahead of us, guys,” Connors informed them, rising and going for a dry-erase board. As if on cue, their collective groans filled the room. Normally Kreed would have stopped him, especially since he’d already moved this in the direction he wanted them to go. But out of respect, he held his tongue. He could sit there quietly and let Connors beat them in the ground, trying to decipher the exact implementation of this part of the investigation.
Chapter 5
What seemed like hours passed with Connors rehashing everything concerning this case about a million times, droning on and on and on. Aaron could have sworn the agent was just talking to hear himself. Every once in a while, Brown or Kreed would inject a thought, but Aaron stayed silent through the whole lecture, still pissed off and not even a little bit resigned to his new undercover fate. No matter how hard he pounded the keyboard or how many grunts he gave, no one paid any attention to him.
To top everything off, the rumbling in his stomach had turned to pain a while ago. One pepperoni pizza split between the four of them wasn’t nearly enough food, and damn it, if he hadn’t left his dessert in the car. He glanced down at the clock on his computer screen and tried to ignore the noises rumbling through his stomach again. Agitation got the best of him. What the fuck was wrong with these men? Why was Kreed just sitting there, letting this happen? It was already past eight at night. At this rate, all he could see was Connors keeping them there all night long, rambling on and on about nothing, while they had a lot of ground work to cover before he could ever officially apply for any position inside that church—not that he had agreed to do any such thing. His irritation levels were sky rocketing with every second that ticked by.
Out of desperation, Aaron finally said loudly, interrupting Connors’s flow, “I think you should find someone else. I’m not trained for this sort of thing, and you guys are beatin’ the crap out of me right now.”
All eyes turned toward him.
“No, you’re the one for the undercover work, but the kid’s got a point, Connors. I can’t take much more of your discussing the same fucking thing over and over, man. I tried…” Kreed stood and stretched, reaching for the pizza box in the middle of the table. There was one piece left and Aaron had eyed that thing for the last hour. Kreed lifted the thin crust pepperoni and pineapple slice and took a big bite, before dropping it on a paper plate in front of Aaron. He wished he’d grabbed the piece first, half the damn thing was gone in that one bite Kreed took. But at least Kreed shared.
“So what’re we gonna do with Knox? I know him too well. He’ll bother us all to death until he just forces his way back in.” Kreed stated.
“He can’t,” Connors said, sounding a little disgruntled, but surely to God that wasn’t the first time he’d been told he talked too much. “He’s got to stay put and let us wrap this up.”
“Not gonna happen,” Kreed replied, moving toward the water cart placed by the door. He grabbed two iced bottles of water. “We have to give him a job.”
“It’s too risky. His face is too well known,” Brown said, stretching his arms over his head. Evidently he hadn’t been the only one bored out of his mind with Connors. From the look on Brown’s face, he’d had enough too. Kreed placed one of the water bottles in front of Aaron, still never really looking his way. Since they’d arrived at the FBI building, with the exception of the little show downstairs, Kreed had basically ignored Aaron, so the food and water gesture took him by surprise. Maybe the guy wasn’t half bad after all. Aaron picked up the pizza and took a bite then opened the water bottle as Kreed kept talking.
“Besides, he’s got security attached to him. So if we’re busy keeping an eye on Stuart and Mitch is secretly watching us and his security’s over there watching him watch us… Something’s gonna fuck up.”
When no one responded, Kreed hooked a thumb toward Aaron as he took a big gulp of water. “We need to decide what we’re gonna do and wrap up this meeting. I need to feed him before he starts eating his arm.”
“We just ate pizza,” Connors protested loudly.
“That’s just a snack for him. You should see him eat.”
“Where do you put it?” Brown looked over at him incredulously.
“Focus,” Aaron said, his mouth full of pizza. He didn’t normally like to talk with food in his mouth, but extreme times called for extreme measures.
“Send Mitch to Dallas to guard Colt and Jace. It’ll keep him busy. Plus, if something goes wrong, he’s in close proximity to Redemption Apostle Tabernacle. Midlothian’s about thirty minutes from Dallas,” Kreed said, reaching for his jacket.
“That would keep him busy. What story are you telling him?” Brown questioned.
“I’ll keep it vague, but he’s persistent,” Kreed responded.
“Yeah, but he usually uses me to gather his information,” Aaron explained. Eagerness to leave had Aaron quickly displaying the job listings posted on the church’s website on the mounted monitor. Kreed had been right; it was one of those massive, mega complexes that sprawled out over several acres. The church was enormous and just happened to have a permanent job opening in the IT department.
Typing quickly, Aaron split the screen. He’d had more than enough time during the hours of Connors’s ramblings to build a proper undercover background specific to the job’s requirements. He’d also done a quick mockup of a fake Texas driver’s license. His new name was Josiah Smith of Krum, Texas. He had a master’s degree in computer science from New Found Faith University. Linking himself to a strict fundamentalist college had been cause for giving himself a mental high five.
“If you agree with all this, I can load this information, get it in the required databases, and apply for the job tonight,” Aaron offered, pulling the cords from the electrical outlets. He really wanted to get the hell out of Dodge.
“It’s great. Looks good,” Brown praised, reading the screen.
“You can’t look like you…or at least not like you do right now,” Connors said, staring up at the screen before turning back to eye Aaron. “Those church boys are clean-cut. I don’t think they have multi-colored hair. You would stand out like a sore thumb.”
“Yeah, you need to look like Connors,” Kreed added, giving a chuckle.
“No offense, I’m not doing that.” Aaron removed everything off the screen, frustrated with the turn of this conversation. He should have just uploaded the information on his own. It was far easier to ask forgiveness than permission—technically, the anthem of his entire life. Besides, he’d combed through his picture files to find a photo from his brother’s wedding where his hair was styled reasonably well.
“Yeah,
you are. I’ll get him cleaned up tomorrow morning. I’m sure the hotel has a salon. Can you add a new picture in the morning before you send all this out?” Kreed asked.
“It doesn’t matter. I’m not cutting my hair or looking like him.” Aaron didn’t look up as he began packing his shit up.
“Yeah, kid, you will.”
Great. The most annoying side of Kreed Sinacola’s personality was coming out to play—the one where he had all the answers and would just wait for everyone else to catch up. The air around him changed, and he glanced over to see Kreed’s booted feet extremely close by. Aaron slowly lifted his gaze to meet Kreed’s, where the man now stood, towering over him. The deputy marshal’s dark stare bore intensely through him and the smirk on those full lips was about as close to a freaking you’ll-do-whatever-I-ask grin as you could get.
Goose bumps prickled along his skin and his body tightened in response. Desperation made Aaron want to kiss that smirk right off Kreed’s face, feel the plumpness of his beautiful lips. For a second, Aaron completely lost himself and would have agreed to do anything Kreed wanted him to do in order to stay lost in that intense and sultry gaze. Brown coughed on the other side of the room and broke the spell Kreed held over him. Aaron quickly looked away, hoping no one else in the room heard the pounding of his heart.
Aaron shook his head to clear his thoughts as he continued packing his equipment away. Damn it to hell! Aaron couldn’t believe he’d let Kreed get to him. It wouldn’t happen again. He took a deep breath and straightened before turning, this time scowling at that handsome face that mocked him, letting Kreed know he wouldn’t win this argument or any other, for that matter. Aaron slammed his laptop shut. Not too hard, but enough to get everyone’s attention.
“Why are you mad? It’s hair. It’ll grow back,” Connors stated, confused.
“I’m starving and your scraps just piss me off. I’m out.” Aaron shoved his laptop into the bag, slung the strap over his shoulder then spun on his heels and started moving toward the door, not waiting for Kreed. The guy could go jump in an ice-covered river for all he cared. He should have never been in this position in the first place. Today had gone from bad to worse. Now, he was the asshole going undercover. How had he even let that happen?
“I guess we’re done for tonight,” Kreed joked, gathering his things. The guy tossed his plate in the trash as Aaron hit the conference room door.
“No, you guys continue. Stay all fuckin’ night talking about the same thing over and over.” Aaron added his own hint of mockery to his tone. Aaron walked out the door, leaving it open, and never looked back as he headed toward the elevators. Fuck Kreed Sinacola!
“He’s got his period,” Kreed drawled from behind him. Aaron quickened his pace. Maybe he could get on the elevator and downstairs before Kreed caught up to him. Did taxis wait out front of the FBI building? Only one way to find out.
“Fuck you. I’m taking a cab to the fuckin’ airport.” Aaron readjusted his laptop bag strap on his shoulder as he reached for the elevator call button. He absolutely wasn’t cutting his hair or wearing the standard Men’s Warehouse rack suit—not that they had even mentioned that yet, but he knew it was coming. No fucking way. He drew the line right there.
Lord knew he’d dedicated his life to helping the underdog, but this was asking too damn much. He reached out and punched the down button again when the doors didn’t open. The small arrow lit up then went dark. Angry, he pressed it again, achieving the exact same results. Why didn’t the elevators work? Immediately he scanned the small entryway, looking for the stairwell.
“Come on, smart boy. It’s not so bad,” Kreed taunted from behind. “You need to wave your badge in front of the reader like this if you want to get anywhere.” Kreed pressed the button and when it turned green, he lifted his wallet over a small section above the button. The doors opened.
Smartass!
Aaron stayed rooted in his spot. He didn’t want to get in the elevator car with Kreed. He’d take the next one down. In Kreed’s typical annoying way, the guy stepped toward him, hooked an arm around his neck and hauled him against his side, forcing them both inside the small box. Kreed’s scent filled the air around him, engulfing him in exotic spices. His brain cells momentarily went on hiatus again as his dick plumped and, damn it, that pissed him off even more.
Aaron was mad as hell, nowhere close to being attracted to the cocky guy, no matter how his body betrayed him. Aaron couldn’t afford to get involved with anyone right now, and he damn sure wasn’t going to get tangled up with the irritatingly bossy Deputy US Marshal Kreed Sinacola. It had to be that damn cologne Kreed wore—cinnamon, clove, and a hint of citrus. Aaron liked that scent way too much for his own good.
“I promise to get you all fixed up tomorrow—just a little styling. You won’t have to look like Connors. Believe me, nobody but Connors can pull that tight-laced, chronically constipated look off with such ease.”
A laugh came from behind them and Aaron jerked his head up. He hadn’t noticed Brown or Connors stepping on the elevator with them. Brown gave a few quiet chuckles before a hearty side-splitting laugh erupted.
“Fuck you all,” Connors said, pressing the first floor button. “Short hair’s easier to deal with.”
“I’ll feed you and make everything better. You’ll see.” Kreed stared right at him, and he finally lifted his gaze to look back. Great. Another teasing jab, but Aaron took a deep breath and chose to let the remark go. The mention of food seemed to work in elevating his mood. Aaron didn’t say anything more. His earlier annoyance hadn’t dissipated by much, but he also hadn’t moved out from under Kreed’s arm. The weight of the guy’s arm over his shoulders somehow calmed him, plus Kreed smelled too damn good and his attitude was contagious. He’d stay right there in that quasi-embrace and think about what he wanted for dinner.
Chapter 6
Kreed stirred, listening to what sounded very close to a mechanical typewriter clicking away in the distance. He cracked an eyelid and looked toward the curtain. There wasn’t any light peeking through the bottom yet so that meant it was still dark outside. When the sound didn’t lessen over time, he looked at the alarm clock by the bed. 4:30 am. Weirdly enough, this had been the first night in longer than he could remember that he’d actually slept. He wasn’t in a mindset to give that up. Kreed turned over, pulled a pillow over his head, and snuggled back underneath the warmth of the blanket, hoping to fall back asleep. Several minutes passed and all he could do was concentrate on whether he could hear that irritating noise.
Yep, there it was. What the hell? Tossing the pillow aside, he fisted the blanket and threw it toward the end of the bed.
Kreed kicked his legs over the edge and stood, before quietly padding across the hotel suite toward the partially opened door separating his room from Aaron’s. He’d insisted on leaving the door open before bed. He knew that made no sense to Aaron, and it honestly hadn’t made much sense to him either, but it was something he and Mitch had done while in the field. Being on the marshals’ special teams task force meant they hauled in the worst of the worst criminals. On rare occasions, the bad guys found the deputies first and Kreed never wanted a locked door to be an obstacle that slowed him in getting to his partner’s side. Now, apparently that same protective instinct applied to Aaron as well.
The sounds grew stronger as Kreed ducked in the closet to grab his gym shorts before pushing the door to their adjoining rooms wide open. Aaron sat at the desk in the dimly lit room, two monitors, a keyboard, and a tower in front of him. Where the hell had all that equipment come from?
“Have you slept?” Kreed asked, stifling a yawn as he pushed his fingers through his hair. Aaron looked up from his computer, a startled expression crossed his face as their gazes met. That was when Kreed noticed the earphones. Aaron reached up, pulling one of the earbuds from his ear, letting it dangle from the wire around his neck. He looked younger than his twenty-nine years, especially in the light reflecting off the mo
nitors. Aaron was shirtless, wearing only a pair of shorts as he sat kicked back in the desk chair. He’d stretched his long muscular legs across another chair, the one originally placed in front of the suite’s window. He must have moved it across the room. All the screens went dark as Aaron angled his head to look at him over his shoulder. Kreed had no idea how he accomplished the feat of turning off the monitors when his hands were no longer on the keyboard.
“What?” Aaron asked.
“Have you slept yet?” Kreed sucked in a breath when Aaron dropped his legs to the floor and spun completely around in his desk chair to face him, exposing a well-defined chest, inked with an impressive tatt that ran across his shoulder and down his chest. A flash of silver on the kid’s nipples caught Kreed’s attention and held it. Nipple rings?
Oh fuck me, yes!
Kreed couldn’t believe all that had been hidden under Aaron’s clothing. The kid was just full of surprises. He was staring, but he couldn’t help it. Damn it, if he was going to hell, he might as well enjoy the view. Kreed’s eyes dropped lower to follow the treasure trail of dark hair disappearing into the waistband of the nylon shorts sitting low on the kid’s hips. Shit, the guy was mouthwatering. Kreed’s cock hardened instantly. What the fuck? He’d never reacted like this to the men he worked with. He’d offered sex before they started the assignment, but once they made it to the FBI building, that was off the table. Yet, his behavior bordered on inappropriate and he absolutely hated he couldn’t get a hold of his attraction for this guy. Damn it.
“Yeah, I just don’t sleep a lot. Did I wake you?” Aaron scrubbed his fingers through his hair.
Kreed really wanted to be the one to do that, but instead he casually reached inside his shorts and straightened his dick. He tried for a normal guy move, something that didn’t reek of creepy pervert. He really hoped it was convincing.
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