by Lisa Kessler
“Good.” David got to his feet and glanced at Keegan. “Can you make it back on your own? I need to get a cleaning crew out here and lock this one up in a holding cell.”
Keegan limped over and retrieved his knife from the ground, his voice barely a whisper when he said, “There’s truth to the pirate code—dead men tell no tales.”
David rolled the man over onto his stomach, pulling his wrists together behind him. “I’m an agent for the United States government. As much pleasure as it would give me to wipe the Serpent Society off the earth, they’re still citizens with rights. Besides, there’s no one for him to talk to where he’s going.”
“I’ll let the others know about the drop points. We can shanghai both shipments when they arrive.”
David nodded. It was a good idea that he could have no part in. Even though he worked in a little-known division of the government, if he started making sloppy mistakes like illegal search and seizure of a private businesses, Department 13 wouldn’t be a secret much longer.
Teaming up with the immortal pirate crew on this mission had been a gamble, but Keegan saved his life tonight, and David had to admit the pirates being able to work outside the law gave him a little more leeway. He would just look the other way.
David zip-tied the fanatic’s wrists behind his back and glanced up at Keegan. “Sure you can walk to your car?”
Keegan nodded. “Won’t be able to run, but I’ll get there.”
“All right. I’ll clean up here and take him back to my field office.” He hoisted the guy up from the ground, wincing. His magically healed gunshot wound was still tender. “I’ll call you tomorrow.”
“Fair enough.” With that, Keegan limped out into the darkness.
…
By the time Keegan made it back to the car, there were stars at the edge of his vision. He used to have a high tolerance for pain—it was a requirement for a life at sea with plenty of injuries and not much medical treatment—but fuck he was out of practice.
He lowered himself into the driver’s seat, cursing under his breath. Once he had both legs inside, he shut the door and rested his forehead on the steering wheel, pulling in long, slow breaths. He closed his eyes, and the vision of the hook rising from the bale of hay and flying across the barn taunted him.
Char. It had to be. Somehow, he’d felt her there with him. Near. But it was impossible. He hadn’t told her where he was meeting Agent Bale, and she didn’t remember how to use her power anyway.
It made no damn sense, but in his gut, he’d sensed her with him.
That serpent bastard was going to shoot him in the back. Tonight could have ended very differently if there hadn’t been a deadly guardian angel watching over him. He’d covered for Char and took credit for killing the man who shot Agent Bale. Hopefully the agent believed it.
Either way, Keegan needed to get back to Char.
Focusing all his energy on her, Keegan opened his eyes and lifted his head. He fired up the engine, grinding his teeth as he forced his foot to press the accelerator. The tires screeched around the corners as he neared Char’s place, but he didn’t slow down.
He parked across the street from her house. The black car from the trailer park sat in her driveway. Her parents hadn’t done enough damage for one night?
Keegan turned off the car and stared at the light in her window. When he left, she couldn’t figure out how to use her power. She didn’t even believe it still existed. Her father must’ve “helped” get her into the barn. But how?
He wished he could convince himself the dead fanatic was the victim of an angry poltergeist.
His knee still hurt like a son of a bitch, but it held his weight when he got out of the car. Good enough. He needed to protect Char. He didn’t trust her father, and he had no intention of letting him see any sign of weakness.
The stairs up to her front door were torture. Sweat rolled down his forehead, but he reached for the knob. When he opened it, Char was on the couch with her mother beside her, and her father was on his feet pacing. Everyone froze.
He pushed the pain back, hiding it with his familiar bravado. “Am I interrupting something?”
Her father glanced at Char, but she was already on her feet. She crossed to him and wrapped her arms around him, her voice muffled against his chest. “I need to talk to you.”
He slid his arm around her waist, his gaze narrowed on her father. “I can stay with her.”
“I don’t think we’re finished here.” Her father’s clipped British accent reminded Keegan of the dukes and lords from lifetimes past. Rich men who built their fortunes on the backs of sailors they sent out to die on the high seas.
“I think you’ve done enough,” Keegan snarled.
“We should go.” Kelly Pratt stood and took her husband’s hand. “You need to get back to Department 13 before Agent Bale finds you in Savannah.”
Gradually, Kingsley started to nod, squeezing his wife’s hand. “Of course. You’re right. I’ll contact you soon, Charlotte.”
“No.” Char lifted her head from Keegan’s chest. “I’ll contact you when I’m ready.”
“Ah, yes.” Her father pressed his lips together, eyes downcast. The first sign of remorse Keegan had witnessed from the drunk bastard. “Your mother knows how to reach me.”
Her mother came closer, running a hand along Char’s arm. “I love you, magpie.” Her mother lifted her gaze to meet his eyes. “Keep her safe.”
Keegan nodded. “I will.”
The couple exited the front door, and Keegan used his free hand to engage the dead bolt. Bringing his other arm around her, he pressed a kiss to the top of her head, his voice barely a whisper. “You were with me tonight.”
Her sob against his chest was all the answer he needed. He bent his knees, ignoring the jolt of pain, and started to lift her up into his arms, but she stepped back. “I’m fine. Really.”
Her face was pale and her hands trembled, but her jaw was set. Determined. He could admire her strength but pitied her at the same time. Char had never had a crew around her or known that no matter the risk, someone would pull you out of that dark hull before the ship sank to the depths of the sea.
He swallowed the lump in his throat, his voice gravelly. “Leaning on someone doesn’t make you weak, love.”
“I can’t.” She crossed her arms. “I’ll fall apart. I’m barely holding it together as it is.”
“All right.” He limped toward the hallway. “Will you be all right here while I clean up?”
She frowned, her gaze wandering down his body. She gasped when she reached his lower leg. “They shot you.”
He peered down at the hole in his jeans and back to her face. “Yeah, but at least we know the Grail’s power hasn’t worn off completely. I’m healing, just not as quickly.”
She came to his side, putting his arm around her shoulder. “I’ll help you.”
He raised an exhausted brow. “So you can help me, but I can’t do the same for you?”
“I didn’t get shot.”
He allowed her to take some of his weight as he made his way toward her bedroom. He left her seated on her bed before he turned to go into her bathroom.
Her voice stopped him in his tracks. “I’m dangerous, Keegan. I should turn myself in to Agent Bale.”
He looked back over his shoulder. “As far as he knows, your powers don’t work anymore.”
She frowned. “He was there when I made the hook fly across the barn.”
“He was also flat on his belly bleeding out.” Keegan leaned against the bathroom doorway, taking some of the weight off his bad leg. “I told him I threw it.”
Char blinked, rubbing her hand down her face. “He believed you?”
“Aye.” Keegan didn’t mention the man Agent Bale took into custody. Keegan didn’t know how much the fanatic had seen, but there was a good chance he might contradict Keegan’s version of events if Bale pressed him. Keegan pushed the concern away. He’d handle it. Char had eno
ugh to worry about.
She wiped her nose. “You didn’t have to do that.”
“You saved my life.” Keegan waited for her to look at him. “If that bastard had fired and shot me in the back, I couldn’t have healed fast enough to live. You protected me just like you protected your father. You’re only dangerous to someone who threatens the people you care about. If Agent Bale found out what you can do, he might try to change that, to mutate it into harming those the government decides are a threat.” His hands balled into tight fists. “I won’t let that happen. They’d have to kill me first, and we both know, I’m very tough to kill.”
“Good thing.” She chuckled in spite of her trembling voice. “I wasn’t ready to tell you goodbye yet.”
He scanned her face as the silence embraced them, words he was terrified to speak aloud echoing through his mind.
He might never be ready to hear her say goodbye.
Chapter Fifteen
Charlotte smiled in the dim light of her bedroom, listening to Keegan humming from her shower. He was alive.
She kept replaying that moment when the robed man lifted his gun to shoot Keegan. There had been a jolt, like a hot poker of pure rage had branded her spirit; that heat generated power; and she’d focused it on the nearest weapon.
It all happened so fast.
But it saved him.
The bathroom door opened, startling her from her thoughts. Keegan filled the doorway, a towel wrapped low on his hips. He held up his bloodied pants. “I’ll be needing a new pair.”
A smile snuck up on her. “You were shot tonight, and you’re worried about your jeans?”
“My favorite pair. The bastards.” He tossed them aside. “I’ll be all right, lass.”
She sat up, beckoning him closer. “How’s your leg?”
“It’s still tender, but I can bend it.” He demonstrated, and she cringed.
“The bullet went right through your knee.”
He nodded, replacing his foot on the ground. “Yeah, and I’m out of practice with pain, but I’m upright, and I have a lead on the Grail.”
He sat on the edge of the bed, treating her to a view of his toned back. Alive. They were both here. The imminent danger was over.
And in spite of her horrific and terrifying evening, heat smoldered low in her belly. She ran her hand up his back until his eyes met hers. She tried to read his expression; desire was definitely there, but also reluctance.
She swallowed the lump in her throat and whispered, “I don’t know what tomorrow holds, but tonight…I just want to be a woman in your arms.”
He brought a rough hand up to caress her cheek, the bravado gone from his voice. “You are so damn beautiful, Char.” He leaned in, his lips brushing hers tenderly at first, his fingers tangling in the back of her hair. “One more night of you naked in my arms, and I may never be able to let you go.”
“Then don’t.”
His tongue pushed past her lips as he groaned into the kiss, pressing her back onto the bed. His hands were eager, desperate to remove the barrier between them. She helped him slide her pants and underwear free, parting her legs and welcoming the closeness of his body as he settled over her. His feverish kisses trailed down her neck, his breath hot against her skin. “I need you.”
“Yes,” she gasped as he took her nipple into his mouth, her back arching.
His hand slid down her side to her hip and finally between them, his fingertips dipping inside her. Her hips writhed into his touch, begging for release.
She couldn’t get close enough to him.
He wrapped his other arm around her and rolled them over so she was on top. “Don’t want my knee to interrupt us.”
She ran her hand up his chest. “I’ll be gentle.”
His crooked smile made her heart pound in answer. She’d never known a sexier man. Pirate or otherwise. She stared down into his eyes as she lowered herself until the tip of his erection teased her opening.
His gaze never strayed from hers as his hands gripped her ass. “I need to be much closer, love.”
He’d used the word in passing many times, but the shine in his eyes, the beating of his heart, the yearning in his voice, made this time…different. She rocked her hips into him, moaning as his entire length filled her. She caught her breath, opening her eyes, to find his attention was still completely focused on her.
She lay over him, her lips brushing his as she whispered, “I can’t get close enough…love.”
He pulled her closer, fusing his lips to hers as his hand tightened into a fist in the back of her hair. Her heart raced as her tongue wrestled, hungry and aching like the rest of her body. His other hand ran down her back, his fingers splayed passively until he finally cupped her ass.
Her teeth scraped his lower lip as she broke the kiss and sat up over him. The desire in his eyes, knowing it was all for her, reaffirmed the rush that they were alive, and they were together. He gripped her hips tight, thrusting up into her faster.
She dropped her head back, closing her eyes and surrendering to the pleasure. One of his hands moved up her side, cupping her breast. Her breath caught as she lifted her head and met his gaze. He slid his other hand between them, toying her until she gasped his name.
His fingers traced a line of awareness down her side, making her ache for his touch. She rocked into his other hand, his rubbing pushing her closer to the edge of surrender.
“You are so damn beautiful.” His voice was a gravelly whisper. “I’ll never get enough.”
There was a stark honesty in his eyes, and her heart raced in response. She lay over him, the tips of her taut nipples brushing against his chest. Her long hair fell around them like a veil as she searched his eyes. Dangerous words whispered through her head. She kissed him before she could give them voice. Her inner muscles tightened around him as her entire body trembled. She moaned into the kiss, and her orgasm consumed all rational thought.
Keegan broke the kiss and suddenly turned them over again so fast she gasped. “Fuck my damn knee.”
She laughed, digging her nails into his back. He drove his hips into her, deep and urgent until he joined her in oblivion and erupted deep inside her. He held her tight as the aftershocks washed over them.
She kissed his neck, blood gradually returning to her head. She’d said the word out loud. Love. What the hell was she doing?
John’s warning echoed through her mind.
Tonight, she saved Keegan’s life, but if she didn’t get a grip on her heart, her mortality could end up destroying him.
…
Keegan blinked his eyes open as the sun filtered through the blinds. It took a second for him to remember where he was. He glanced down at Char’s face as she snoozed against his chest. He lifted his head to press a kiss to her hair. Her lips curved, and a drowsy moan escaped her throat. His heart warmed.
Last night, he could have died.
Centuries had passed since those words were true.
And the moment he recognized his new mortality, the second life suddenly became precious, the first place he’d wanted to be was right here, with her in his arms. Once they recovered the Grail and he took another sip, death would be a stranger to him again, until one day…Char would be gone. Lost to him forever.
He stared at the ceiling, willing himself to banish thoughts of the future. They could live in the now. Today.
But hearing her call him “love” last night had flipped a switch inside him, awakened a dangerous yearning he’d thought he banished when he finally let Jess go.
Char stirred against him and slowly opened her eyes. “Morning.”
He tucked a lock of her dark hair behind her ear. “Aye.”
“Oh God.” She squinted at the clock and sat up. “I’ve got to get to work.”
She was out of the bed so fast, he barely got to admire her bare backside before the bathroom door closed. He sighed and got up, stretching for a second before he realized his knee didn’t hurt. In front of her mirror
ed closet door, he inspected the skin. Healed. He bent his leg a few times and smiled.
He searched his jeans and pulled out his phone. The shower was still on in the bathroom. He had a little time. On the bedside table, he picked up Char’s cell phone and clicked on the screen. Locked. Fuck. He stared at the glowing numbers. What could her code be?
Using his cell, he got the address for the maritime museum. He punched in the number. Nothing. Damn. He tried her house number. Nope.
He ran a hand through his hair. He didn’t want to worry Char about the witness Agent Bale hauled out of the barn, but if he couldn’t get her father’s number out of her phone, he might not have another choice. Her father was the only person Keegan knew who might be able to get to the one loose end that could incriminate Char.
Then it hit him. He pressed in the numbers 1795.
Her phone opened. He chuckled. She used the year the Sea Dog sank. He should’ve known.
Scrolling through the contacts, he found her mother’s number and saved it in his phone. He’d contact her later for her husband’s number. If Kingsley Pratt was serious about keeping his daughter safe, he’d find that witness in Agent Bale’s custody and silence him.
He placed Char’s phone back on the nightstand and pressed John’s number on his cell. “Hey, mate, I’ve got a line on the Grail.”
“Good news.”
Keegan glanced at the bathroom door, a smile teasing the corners of his mouth. “Any chance you could get the crew together for a sunset sail tonight? If we make our plans at sea, we won’t be interrupted by the government.”
“Fair enough.” John hesitated. “What about the captain?”
Captain Flynn didn’t have many friends left in the crew, save his first mate, Duke Proctor. Flynn had been a taskmaster at sea, and it had been his eagerness to get into port in Savannah that forced them to sail through a tropical storm. A storm that Keegan fought at the helm. Ultimately, Keegan lost the battle and the Sea Dog. “We can do it without the captain.”
“Aye, but we’re talking about stealing the Lord’s cup again.” John paused. “Without his strategy, it could slip through our fingers. Forever.”