When Davis left the office, Nick gave a deep breath of relief. Davis was wound so tight that he exhausted everyone around him. Nick could understand why Dr. Walters needed some alone time—a break.
“I thought you two were going to fight.” Hollie giggled like a young girl. He wished she could always be vivacious and happy, not all darkness and shadows. “It was like out of a movie, two gladiators fighting in the Coliseum.” Her snicker made him smile.
He was glad she wasn’t upset by what had gone down but the episode gave him a glimpse of the violence that she must have witnessed from her bastard father and his customers. Meth addicts were unpredictable and dangerous.
The door to Dr. Walters’ office opened and she and Mitzi emerged. “I wanted to make sure you both survived Davis’ ground zero mood…” And looking at Hollie, “…And that you didn’t take it personally.”
Nick’s affection for the little doc grew immensely. Although she was dealing with a death threat and her boyfriend going postal, she was caring enough to want to reassure Hollie.
“Mitzi and I are heading to Mrs. Leary’s now. I’m sure you’ve heard all of Davis’ stipulations.” Her green eyes danced. “This is very hard on all of us, and I appreciate your patience with Davis. I’m hoping that this will be over soon.”
“Oh, boss. Don’t say that. We all want to keep you safe.”
“How could anything happen to me with Davis, Nick, Mitzi, Talley, and you guarding me?” Dr. Walters teased Hollie. “I don’t think the president has a bigger or smarter detail. I told Louise Marley that I felt I was the star in one of her spy movies. Louise said Hollywood would never believe that an animal acupuncturist’s life could be dangerous.”
“They don’t know you and your adventures.” Hollie laughed, her eyes lightened, and the worry furrow on her forehead relaxed.
“Nick are you ready to walk me to my car?” Dr. Walters proceeded toward the door, Mitzi following behind. “Hollie, keep looking on the game sites. We need to find Maddy soon or Davis is going to combust.”
“I’m working on it, boss.”
“I’ll be back for my appointment with Blue and Mr. Gerald.”
“Let me go first out the door, Dr. Walters.” Nick put Talley’s lead on and turned to Hollie. “I’m going to take Talley for a walk before I come back. Do you want me to bring anything back?”
“No, I’m good. I’ve got a few ideas to find Earthbro.”
Chapter Seventeen
With the office finally empty, it was show time. Using Earthbro’s sign-in info, Hollie hoped to find a connection on the Warfare site linking Earthbro and Maddy. Hollie’s theory was that Maddy was using, and her drug dealers didn’t like Angie and the boss getting close to their operation. Hollie hoped to track Maddy through the Warfare forums without alerting her dangerous associates. With Maddy off the streets, Davis and his officials could go after the dealers and whoever had threatened the boss. Now was the time to nail the bastards. The boss looked beat and harried with the strain of the creeps trying to harm her.
Using Earthbro’s hacked info, Hollie signed into his account on the Warfare site. She scrolled through his posts. The dude had achieved a very high level of play—interesting, but not helpful.
He spent most of his time in a Sea Monster Guild. He posted as “Tegup Frenzy.” Weird. Tegup Frenzy had been soliciting people to raid another guild, Portal of Oil. She delved into the chatter.
Unaware of the time, she was stunned when the door to the office opened. Nick and Talley had already finished their walk.
Nick grinned as he walked into the office. “Missed us?”
Hollie stopped typing. “I…”
“Obviously not. You found something, and totally forgot about us?”
Shocking how he could read her so well, as if they had known each other for years. She had learned to hide her emotions. She thought of herself as impenetrable to others, but, like the Warfare firewall, Nick had no trouble hacking right into her.
Releasing Talley from her lead, he walked to stand right next to her chair. His musky scent mixed with hot male was familiar and intoxicating.
She tilted her head to look up at him. “How do you do it?”
“Do this?” He leaned down, wrapped his thick hand around her nape and pulled her close. Taking her mouth, he angled his head to part her lips. He thrusted his tongue in and tasted her deeply.
Her heart did double time and she panted, trying to catch a breath.
He rubbed his thumb over her lip. “You and I both needed that.” His bright eyes had darkened and his voice was gravelly. He was affected as much by the scorching kiss as she was.
“My kiss made you forget your question?”
His humorous tone, snapped her out of her Nick-induced fog. His spontaneous kisses and touches kept her in a sensual haze. Ironically, she was trying to pretend to herself that she didn’t like his attention.
“I did find something.” She liked the way his eyes filled with warm appreciation.
He rolled a chair next to her. “You hacked Earthbro.”
“Yeah. He’s a high level player and recently he’s been posting in an aquatic forum.”
“Okay.”
“Here’s the interesting part. He’s been recruiting raiders to help his guild’s cause against another guild called ‘Portal of Oil.’”
Nick listened and watched her with total focus. At first, his intensity had been intimidating, but now his keen interest warmed her.
“I can’t find any guild called ‘Portal of Oil,’” she added.
“Now that is weird. Have others responded to his posts?”
“Yeah, but I haven’t had time to read through all the posts.”
“I can help track the different posters in his guild.” Nick leaned toward the screen.
“Great. Your timing is perfect.”
He nudged his solid thigh next to hers. “When we get together, you’ll know that my timing…” His voice was rough as he nipped her earlobe.
Heat went through her like a flash fire. Her face and other parts of her body were burning. She could barely get out the words. “Nick, you’re making it really hard…”
His laugh rumbled deep in his chest. “That’s fair since you’re having the same effect on me.”
Hollie couldn’t help but glance down at Nick’s lap. His erection bulged in his tight jeans.
“Looking makes it only worse, honey.”
“It does?” This was news to her. She got what men wanted, but she hadn’t realized that just looking did it for them.
Nick leaned closer and stroked a tendril of her hair. “Hell, yes. Your interest stirs it all up.”
She shifted in her chair as her entire body heated and throbbed in reaction. Everything about Nick was interesting including…
He touched the rim of her ear lightly with the tip of his tongue. “When I’m around you, I’m always fired up and ready.”
Prickly chills slithered under her already burning skin as Nick explored her ear with his tongue. “Honey, I’ve been ready since I met you. Hell, since I saw you in that tight black skirt.”
God, he was doing it again. Making her forget, making her want things she wasn’t sure she could ever have. She hadn’t grown up in a normal family to understand how relationships worked. Nick was the first man she had ever desired. There were a few men who had piqued her interest, but nothing like Nick. And maybe it was time to finally go for it with Nick. But after the mindless, incredible sex he promised with his intense looks and kisses, what then?
He put his hand on the back of her neck and tugging her so close their breaths mingled. “Don’t pull away. Talk to me, honey.”
The flush on his raw-boned face and the way his broad chest heaved under his tight T-shirt, Hollie wanted to crawl onto his lap and do her own exploring. She couldn’t look at him without wanting to touch him, kiss him. She shook her head. How had this happened so fast? It was all Nick’s fault for being so damned irresistible.
>
“Nick, I’m not sure this can work.”
He lifted her out of the chair as if she weighed nothing and positioned her on his lap. “Oh, honey. I promise you this can work.” He nudged her bottom with his erection.
She pushed against his chest. “You idiot. I don’t mean the sex…”
He lifted her chin with his knuckles. He searched her face. “Tell me what has you worried.”
“You’re hot and heavy now to have sex. But you told me you were interested in more than sex with me, right?”
He moved her hair away from her neck, and gently played with the long tendrils. “You know I am. I’ll keep telling you over and over again until you believe me. I want to be with you, Hollie. You’re the woman for me.”
“But that’s what I’m saying. I don’t know how to do the next part. I assume you’ll be good at the sex part. It’s the part after, like being normal and dating. My parents weren’t exactly sterling examples of how to be in a relationship.”
“It won’t be me being good at sex. It will be you and I coming together. And it will be more than good. It will be fantastic, mind-blowing, making each other happy.”
Nick made it sound easy. It couldn’t be that easy or she wouldn’t be so frightened.
He ran his hands up and down her arms. “I want to make you happy. Don’t you want to make me happy?”
She chewed on her lower lip. She did want to make Nick happy. She did enjoy making the people she cared about happy. “I think so.”
He chuckled. “Guess that’s a start.” He brushed her neck and glided his hand along her cheeks. “You’re a very loving and compassionate woman who cares about a lot of people. I don’t think we’re going to have a problem caring for each other.”
Hollie wanted to believe Nick. “Let’s not sweat it now. We need to get this business with Dr. Walters straightened out and then we can figure out the rest. Right?”
She tried to jump off of Nick’s lap. “You’re right. I’m focused on finding Maddy.”
His hands went around her waist and pulled her back against his chest. “Hold on there, partner.” He whispered against her ear. “Before we get down…” His hot breath against her neck and against her ear caused shivers to race along her already sensitive skin. “Let’s have dinner tonight. I’ll cook for you at my new place.”
Hollie shook her head. She wouldn’t turn and look at him, because she wouldn’t be able to say no.
His hands were wandering from her waist upward, right underneath her breasts. “No seduction, I promise; only dinner and a whole lot of kissing and touching. Does that work for you?”
She tried to pull away, get out of his lap, but his hands tightened. “Hey you, okay?”
She nodded without looking back. She didn’t want to see his triumphant look.
Chapter Eighteen
Hollie jumped out of his lap and Nick felt the immediate void without her warm body nestled next to him. She didn’t show any outward sign of the heated strain that burned through his body. Immediately back at her computer, her fingers flew over the keyboard.
He stood to get his laptop, glad for Hollie’s distraction since he didn’t need to call attention to his jones. With his back to her, he bent over to reach his gear that he had stuffed underneath the chair.
“What’s Earthbro’s character’s name?”
“‘Tegup Frenzy.’” Hollie didn’t look up. “We need to sort through all the posts on the forums he’s entered to see if Maddy has responded.”
He pulled a chair around in front of Hollie’s desk to face her. With the shelves and a cupboard behind her desk, there wasn’t enough room for the two of them to work next to each other. He missed being able to touch her, but he had tonight. He couldn’t believe she had agreed to his dinner plans. He expected that she’d fight him.
He had moved to his friend’s place on Lake Washington, closer to be available to guard Dr. Walters. One of his buddies owned a rental in the North end of Seattle. It was perfect for him and Talley since they could both swim each day and pursue Hollie. Since the move, he’d been fixated on how to lure Hollie to his place and tonight it was happening.
Hollie gazed up from the computer, catching him in his moment of fantasizing.
“I thought you said you were going to help.”
“Yes, sir.” He couldn’t stop his grin. She was one bossy woman. His woman. He had started to think of her that way. Not that she was ready to consider all of his plans.
Hollie stretched her neck and back against her chair, thrusting her breasts forward in the little tank top she wore, paired with a long, clinging skirt. For someone who had been exposed to men’s baser ways, she really was innocent on how men’s minds worked. If he thought she’d be amenable, he’d leap over the desk to get to those delectable prizes she presented.
She caught him gawking her body again. She rolled her eyes. “Really? Nick, focus.”
“Yes, ma’am. Can you tell me when Earthbro started posting and I’ll start there.”
“He has been posting on fifteen forums for over two years.”
“But we’ve been searching all the forums and haven’t found him.”
“Exactly, but, with his sign info, I can track which ones he’s been on most recently. His newest and favorites is Sea Monster Forum.”
Nick went straight to the Sea Monster forum. “Shit. There were over 400 posts.”
“But Maddy has only been missing two months. You start at July and I’ll start in August.”
“Sounds like a plan.” He scrolled back to July and began to read the comments. On the third page down, he found a character named “madwomanmollusk.”
“Hollie, I might have something.”
Her eyes widened. “Really?”
“There is a character named ‘madwomanmollusk.’”
She jumped out of her seat and came around to his side of the desk. “Angie told the boss that Maddy had a lot of anger.” She leaned over him to look closer at his screen. He got a whiff of lemon shampoo and flowery Hollie. It took all his self-control not to pull her back down on to his lap again.
“I can search Earthbro’s account to see if he messaged madwomanmollusk.” She went back to her computer. Within minutes, she shouted. “Holy shit! I’ve hit the mother lode.”
Now it was Nick’s turn to jump out of his chair.
“Earthbro sent out this message last night to madwomanmollusk and ten other players about a sale on his T-shirt website.” Hollie pointed to the website. “‘It’s happening. One bang of a sale. Today from 12pm to 2pm. This is happening today…’ And look at the awful T-shirt closely.” She enlarged the screen to enhance the front of the shirt. And then stood up to enable him to sit down.
Nick peered close-up. The white T-shirt depicted an explosion on Seattle’s waterfront. The sky was filled with ominous dark smoke and the buildings were engulfed in flames. Positioned behind the Ferris wheel, a tanker with the name “Tegup Frenzy,” sank into a black oil slick and people ran from a blown up, crumbling Pier 69.
“Oh my God. Is this part of the game or is he going to blow up the pier?” Nick asked.
“How can we find out?” Hollie stretched to look closer at the screen. “He’s got his character’s name on the tanker. What does ‘Tegup’ stand for?”
Nick shook his head. “I’ve no idea. It’s not the name of an Indian tribe, is it?”
Hollie kept staring at the screen, trying to decipher the word. She laughed out loud. “It’s Puget, spelled backwards. Puget Frenzy.”
“You’re right.”
Hollie’s shoulder slumped. “What can we do?”
Nick stood and pulled her chair out for her to sit. “We should look at the response from his post and see if madwomanmollusk commented about the T-shirt sale.”
Hollie started typing. “Brilliant. I’m on it.”
He smiled down at her, but her focus was on the screen. “Madwomanmollusk’s comment was, ‘Rad shirt. Definitely need one.’”
> Hollie read all ten comments aloud to him. “They agree to buy the T-shirt. We just don’t know if that’s a code for something real or they are buying his shirt.”
Hollie scooted closer to the desk. “I’m going to look up if there are any events on the waterfront today.”
“Look specifically at Pier 69.” He added.
Hollie twisted her neck to stare up at him. “You know, you’re really good at this.”
He kissed her lightly on the forehead then the nose. “We’re really good together.”
Her eyes flickered with emotion and her lips curled into a tentative smile. “You might be right.”
Nick’s lungs constricted and his body twitched in readiness. He wanted to take her into his arms and show her exactly how good they were together. Carnal images flickered across his brain.
“Oh, my God.” Hollie’s shout interrupted his erotic fantasy. “There is a Port Commissioner’s meeting today from 12-2pm. And guess what’s on the agenda?”
“Oil tankers in Puget Sound.”
“How did you know?”
“The T-shirt and the fact that there has been endless news coverage around the danger of the oil trains and the possibility of increased oil spills in Puget Sound.”
Hollie cracked her knuckles, a habit he recognized when she was anxious or unsure. “But this could all be part of the game and only fictional.”
Nick couldn’t buy that this newest discovery was only part of extended Warfare game-play. There were too many coincidences—the threat needed assessing. At this point, he wasn’t quite ready to alert the FBI and police department’s bomb squad.
His gut was reacting and he trusted his instincts. He and Talley had survived four years of deployment because of his instincts, but he didn’t want Hollie involved in any danger.
The Grayce Walters Romantic Suspense Series Page 58