He could hear the emotion in her voice. “What about Watson?”
“He’s not in it—but what if Tony knows something about that? Or maybe Watson isn’t involved at all. But his cousin sure is. Damn, I wish I could talk to Tony right now. I want to know where he got this.”
Wolf didn’t know, but he didn’t like the implications. “He’s an attorney on Watson’s staff and he sent you this video—I’m guessing Watson is involved somehow.”
“Maybe so. But this is enough to stop Silva—and that’s the most important part to me.”
“Do you think Tony is the one who sent the papers too?”
She blew out a breath. “I think it had to be. But why didn’t he just give them to me? He wants justice for Nicole as much as I do. We’ve talked about it often enough.”
“I think you have your answer in the fact he’s running right now. Somebody figured out he was passing information—and he’s afraid.”
“And I’m afraid for him.”
He glanced at her when she didn’t say anything else. “But not for yourself? You’re involved too. Those guys weren’t selling time shares, you know.”
A slow smile lit her face. “Nope, I’m not. Because I have you.”
She should be scared. Abstractly, she was just a little bit. But mostly she knew she had Wolf on her side, and that counted for a lot. If she’d been alone right now, God knows what would have happened to her. But she wasn’t alone. Wolf was there, and he knew what to do. He trusted his instincts and he got them the hell out of her house before those men could do anything.
Wolf pressed a button on his steering wheel. A voice told him to say a command. “Dial Saint.”
“Dialing Saint,” the voice said.
A second later a man picked up. “What’s up?”
“Two men breaking into Haylee’s house.” He gave a description that was shockingly complete considering how little time they’d had to get away. “Can you get the cops on it?”
“Got it. You okay?”
“We’re good. Heading back to my place. I’ll be in touch.”
“Copy that. Stay safe.”
“Roger.”
“You didn’t give him my address,” Haylee said after he’d ended the call.
He glanced at her. “Didn’t need to. He already knows.”
“Do you guys know everything?”
He almost laughed. “No, but we know what we need to.”
“Including what those guys looked like with only a glance.”
He shrugged. “Hazard of the profession. You pay attention to everything.”
Haylee clutched her phone, the video fresh in her mind. “I can’t figure out how Tony got this. And if he was the one who put the documents under my door, why didn’t he just give them to me? I mean we were at the fundraiser together that night. Why all the cloak and dagger stuff?”
“He’s a lawyer. Maybe he was scared about being connected to the evidence. Or maybe he’s just an asshole.”
Haylee hated the way her insides churned. “Or maybe it wasn’t him at all. Maybe somebody else left the documents.”
“It’s possible. I don’t think it’s likely now that you’ve seen the video, but it’s possible.”
“I wish I could talk to him.”
“I wish we both could,” he grumbled.
Wolf didn’t take the most logical route back to his place. He spent more than forty-five minutes taking back roads and side streets, criss crossing his path until he finally turned into his driveway.
They went inside and Haylee felt a moment’s defeat that she hadn’t even gotten any fresh clothes or her computer from her place. And then she wondered if those men had broken in trashed the place before the police arrived.
“Send me the video,” Wolf said as he locked the door behind them. “I’ll send it to my team and see what they can find.”
Haylee hesitated. Wolf waited, one eyebrow lifting when she didn’t move to do as he asked. “I’m sorry,” she said, still clutching her phone. “It’s just that I’ve waited so long to get some kind of evidence and I’m afraid to share it.”
Wolf came over and took her free hand. Led her over to the couch and sat, tugging her onto his lap as he did so. She went willingly. Happily. He lifted his hand, brushed her hair behind her ear. “I get that you’re worried about it, but you need to let me and my team do everything we can to keep you safe. Analyzing the video will give us access to information that’s not readily apparent on the recording. There might be more there.”
“I know.” She lifted her phone, opened a text, and forwarded the video to Wolf. Then she let out a breath. “There.”
He put a hand behind her neck, pulled her in close. “Thanks, baby,” he said before he kissed her.
One touch of his lips and her body went up in flame. Desire ached deep inside her. She wanted him so much, and she didn’t quite understand how she felt this much for him this quickly. He mattered to her. So damned much.
Right now, her life felt as if it was spiraling out of control. As if the things she’d thought were real somehow weren’t. But this was real. Wolf was real.
She felt him growing hard beneath her and she shifted against him, wanting more. He groaned, squeezing her tight for a moment. And then he let her go. “Much as I want to, there’s work to do first,” he said as he picked up his phone. “I need to send this to the guys.”
She nuzzled his neck, then dropped down to her knees on the floor in front of him and went for the buttons on his jeans while he typed. “You work, I’ll play.”
He didn’t stop her from opening his jeans, or from reaching inside and wrapping her hand around his hot flesh. “Haylee.” Her name was half groan, half rebuke. His fingers stilled on the keypad. “Gotta work.”
“Shush. Help me get these off. I want to make you feel good.” This was the only thing she could believe in right now. Her and Wolf and the passion between them.
He put a finger beneath her chin. “You already do.”
The look in his eyes made her heart flip. She told herself not to read too much into his words, but she couldn’t help herself. It hit her that she wanted more than sex with him. She wanted to spend time with him, talking, watching TV, smiling at each other over a breakfast table.
“Up,” she ordered to mask the emotion threatening to overwhelm her. He obeyed, lifting his hips just enough so she could tug his jeans down. His cock sprang free and she grasped it with both hands. “I’ve missed you,” she said reverently, her eyes fixed on it. “So much.”
Wolf laughed. “He missed you too.”
“Stay out of this, Dean. Finish your text, or whatever it is you’re doing. This gorgeous beast and I need to be together.” She licked the length of him, from the tip to his balls, as he groaned and laughed at the same time. The phone dropped to the couch and she knew he’d finished his text. He was hers now. His fingers speared into her hair, holding her lightly but firmly as he thrust his hips forward and let her do what she wanted.
What she wanted was a lot. Licking, sucking, exploring. Feeling every twitch and throb of him. Learning his taste and texture. Feeling him swell in her mouth as he got close, and then doubling down when he tried to pull her away. Making him explode was her goal. And then he did, stiffening beneath her, his dick swelling bigger than ever, his balls tightening before he spilled everything he had. “Fucking hell,” he groaned as she drank him down.
When she let him go and smiled up at him triumphantly, the look on his face made her heart skip. He seemed conflicted, but she had no time to study him because he reached for her, dragged her up, and kissed her hard.
“Goddamn, that was a turn on,” he told her.
“There’s plenty more where that came from,” she said, running the backs of her fingers along his cheek, her heart throbbing with emotion. Was it love? If felt like it could be. She’d told him she could fall for him—but it was too late. She already had. She’d never known a man as decent as this one. As strong and
honorable and protective. Wolf was exactly the kind of man she wanted in her life. Love was a risk, but maybe it was a risk worth taking.
Except for the part where she didn’t know if he felt the same. How did you ask a guy that?
He turned her and dropped her down on the couch, reaching for the waistband of her pants. “Your turn, Haylee. I’m going to lick you until you scream.”
“I like the sound of that,” she murmured. He freed her from the fabric and she spread her legs without prompting. Wolf sank to his knees and kept his promise…
Wolf had just showered and dressed again when his phone rang. It was Hacker. “Hey, man. Find anything on that video?”
Hacker whistled. “Dude, that thing is all kinds of legit. Somebody was wearing a body cam. Whoever it is doesn’t speak much at all, and nobody addresses him by name during the footage Davis sent. But I can’t believe those guys would have talked about the things they’d talked about if they’d known the camera was there.”
Wolf’s gut tightened. “Such as?”
“The operation. Numbers. How many pills they could press, how they were getting them into the US—Setter’s containers—how much Setter’s cut would be. And Watson—holy fuck, he’s involved, though he’ll be able to deny it since he isn’t actually there. But Setter was there and he didn’t have any trouble discussing his cousin’s participation in the scheme. Watson is hard on drugs for his state, but so long as the pills were going somewhere else, he didn’t seem to care. Or so Setter claims. Like I said, Watson has plausible deniability about the whole thing. Probably won’t be able to pin it on him without some hardcore evidence, though the optics are certainly bad.”
Wolf was trying to process it all. A sitting senator guilty of taking drug money—and his attorney was on the run. What were the chances they’d get Watson? Depended on Tony Davis, probably. “Any luck tracking Davis?”
“Not since he went silent. He turned his phone off, or the battery died. Or somebody intercepted him and the phone is still in his last known location. It could be any of the three. Haylee’s place was clear. Those guys broke in and started to ransack the place but they didn’t leave any recording or listening devices behind. They didn’t get too far before the cops showed up and they had to run. Saint sent Easy and Gem over to secure the doors and plant cameras in case they return.”
“They check out her car?”
“Couldn’t find a key and couldn’t break into it because the neighbors are nervous after this afternoon. Gem said there was an old lady who came out on her lawn and stared at them until they left.”
Wolf chuckled. He could just imagine Gem and Easy being stared down by an old woman determined to stop more criminals from plaguing the neighborhood. “Yeah, fine. I’ll get her keys and check it out later.”
Her car wasn’t a priority at the moment. Not with this new information about the cartel’s drug pipeline. Wolf looked up as Haylee sauntered out of the bathroom. She wasn’t wearing a stitch of clothing and she smiled at him as she passed. His dick started to harden. He watched her ass swaying as she walked and imagined himself biting those pretty cheeks.
Damn.
“Need you to come in, Wolf. Saint’s calling a meeting. Ghost and Mendez are being briefed right now.”
He’d expected that. “I’ll be there. But I’ve got Haylee with me. I can’t leave her here alone with this shit going down.”
“Bring her with you. We’ll get somebody to keep her company in the visitor’s area.”
Haylee strolled out of his bedroom wearing one of his T-shirts. It went to her knees. Sexy as fuck. He wanted to lift it up and put his head beneath it. Lick her pussy again until she sobbed with pleasure.
“I can do that. But she’s going to need clothing.”
Hacker snorted. Haylee snapped her gaze to his, a question in her eyes. “Of course she does. What did you do, rip everything off her?”
“No, asswipe. She left her house yesterday for a meal, not an overnight trip. And today when I took her back, we had to get out fast when those guys showed up. There wasn’t any time to pack a bag.”
“We’ll get her something.”
“Thanks. We’ll be there soon. Have to swing by and pickup dinner first.”
“We’re ordering Chinese if that works for you.”
“I’ll ask Haylee. But we’ll be there.”
“See you soon.”
“Yep.”
“Hey, Wolf?”
“Yeah?”
“Welcome to the club.”
His gut tightened. “What club?”
Hacker laughed. “The club where you can’t stop thinking about one special lady. The club where you’d chew your own arm off if it meant you could save her from harm. The club where you’re a goner over her.”
Wolf tightened his grip on the phone. “Didn’t say any of that, did I?”
Hacker’s laugh grew louder. “Didn’t have to, man. See you in a few.”
The line went dead. Wolf fixed his gaze on Haylee. She frowned adorably. All he wanted to do was wrap her in his arms and protect her. Was he a goner over her? Probably. Sure felt like it.
“What’s up?” she asked.
“First of all, your place is fine. The cops scared those guys off before they could do any damage and a couple of my guys went and secured the doors. Second, we’ve got to go to HQ.”
She frowned. “That’s nice of them. Thank you. But… we have to go?”
“Yes. Both of us. It’s not safe for you to go home or stay here, Haylee. And I’d be just a little distracted if you stayed and I couldn’t look out for you. So we’re both going. There’ll be food and clothes, and a comfortable place to sit while I work.”
She cocked a hip. “Wait—we won’t be together?”
“No. I have to go to the secure area—that’s where you need a security clearance to enter—but we have a really nice visitor’s section. You’ll be comfortable there.”
“I need to work, Wolf. Will I have access to the internet?”
“You will—but honey, I think I’m going to have to ask you not to make anything public just yet.”
Her frown grew harder. “I wasn’t planning on it—it’ll take longer than a couple of hours. But Wolf, this is my story, remember? Y’all aren’t taking it away from me.”
“No, nobody’s taking it away from you. But there’s more at stake here than just a story.” He knew he’d said something wrong when her face grew red.
“Just a story? It’s more than just a story, Wolf! People died. And nobody has answered for that yet—”
He closed the distance between them and wrapped his arms around her, tugging her against him where he could hold her close. Her body trembled with outrage. “I know, Haylee. I swear with everything in me that I’m going to make sure they do. You follow me?”
Her arms went around him. “Yes,” she said, her voice small.
He tipped her chin back, gazed into her eyes. Dark eyes, so soulful and full of pain. And something more that he couldn’t identify. “I promise you’ll get your say. But if we have a chance to put a stop to the operation, are you going to begrudge us that?”
“No, of course not.”
“Then let’s go and see what’s up, okay? I don’t know that we’ll do anything about it, but if there’s a chance, then I’m not saying no. I hope you understand that.”
“I do.” She sighed. “I just want them stopped, Wolf. I don’t really care how. I want them stopped, and I want people to know who Nicole was, that she lived and suffered and didn’t deserve what happened to her. Nobody deserves that.”
His heart squeezed. “No, I know.”
She cupped his jaw. “I know you do. I want to do this for Nicole—and for Cheryl and everyone like them who gets dragged beneath the surface of something far bigger than they are. It’s not just them either—it’s the kids, the parents, the siblings and the friends who suffer too. I want people to know and understand, not write them off as drug addicts who deserv
e whatever they got themselves into.”
She was amazing. So filled with compassion and dedication. He admired her for it. He thought of Cheryl. Had he fought hard enough for her? Or was he content just sending home money and letting his parents deal with everything? He didn’t know what more he could do, but maybe he needed to get more involved than he was. Fly out to California and visit Cheryl in rehab. See how she was doing with his own eyes. Talk to her.
“Then we’ll make sure it happens that way.” He set her away from him and swatted her ass. “Better put on some clothes, baby, or you’ll start a riot at HQ.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Haylee didn’t know what to expect at Wolf’s HQ, but a plush area with couches and workstations where she could sit and wait was not it. She’d probably watched one too many military dramas on television—not to mention the fact she’d been a part of one herself in Guatemala and El Salvador—so she’d expected something less like the lobby of an upscale hotel and more like an industrial building with concrete floors and hard couches. She was profoundly grateful she’d been wrong.
Getting inside this place hadn’t been easy. It had required fingerprints and paperwork and a slow progression through a highly secured entryway. Since this wasn’t the SCIF, as Wolf had described the area where he was going, she hated to think about the amount of security required to access that since this area had been bad enough. Probably needed a blood sacrifice and a burnt offering for that one.
Haylee had a computer with limited internet access. Wolf had told her she couldn’t send anything out, but she could access her files in the cloud. That was all she needed since she wanted to work on shaping her story. Except that she couldn’t think right now. She kept rereading the same paragraph and getting nowhere. It was frustrating. And probably due to not knowing what was going on in Wolf’s meeting.
She was wearing the same leggings and shirt she’d worn yesterday, but Wolf had promised there’d be clothing for her. He’d had to leave before it’d materialized, however. He’d given her a quick kiss and a promise he’d be back as soon as he could. The two men with him, Hacker and Saint, had smirked at each other behind Wolf’s back. Or she’d sworn they had anyway. Hard to be sure when Wolf commanded all her attention when he kissed her. It might have been quick, but it was thorough and hot, that’s for sure.
HOT Justice: A Hostile Operations Team - Book 14 Page 20