by Vella Day
She couldn’t hold her tongue any longer. “It isn’t safe. Look what happened to Drake. At least he went during the supposed downtime.”
Kurt walked over to her and rubbed her shoulder. “I’m not going to do anything. I just want to observe. That’s all. I want to get a feel for the rhythm of the place.” He kissed the top of her head.
“Take Drake with you.”
“I don’t want you to be alone.”
“You believe Mendez will trace me to this place?” She failed to prevent the fear from taking hold.
He rubbed a thumb over her cheek. “When it comes to you, I’m not taking any chances. I have enough guilt on my hands.”
Before she could come up with a comeback, Kurt was out the door. “Well, that sucks.”
Drake stood and helped clear the table. “He’ll be okay.”
“Physically, maybe, but his need for revenge is consuming him.”
“I can relate.”
Drake wasn’t as bad. She placed the dishes in the dishwasher and washed the casserole dish. Her mind went to a happier place.
“What do you two do for Christmas? Do you put up a tree and stuff?”
His chuckle didn’t contain much happiness, and she wished he’d allow her to rectify that.
“We don’t have time. Many of the men in the Pack have families, so Kurt and I have always volunteered to be on watch that day.”
“What about this year?” She hoped they weren’t planning on leaving her alone.
“We cancelled. The general understood.”
“Don’t you two have families you need to visit?” She knew little about either of their backgrounds, other than that Drake’s mom was human and his dad, a werewolf.
“Kurt mentioned his younger brother died of an overdose, which is one more reason to hate Mendez and what he stands for.”
He didn’t have to add that his older brother was also no longer alive. “Are his parents still around?”
“His dad died of a heart attack two years ago, but his mom is still among the living. In fact, she came to visit a while back. Her three sisters and their families all live in Utah, and she spends time with them during the holidays.”
“I bet she’d like it if Kurt visited one Christmas.”
“He’s not much of a ho-ho-ho guy.”
She wiped down the counters, not sure how to respond. “And you?”
“My folks live in Maine. I go up there for a week during the summer, and they come down here a few days in late fall. In fact, they were here about a month ago. How about you?”
She almost felt like they were on a first date, except in their case, the sex came before the small talk.
“I grew up in Denver, but because I could never get warm, yearned for the south. I met Liz at a national real estate symposium, and we hit it off right away. When she suggested I consider moving to Gulfside, I jumped at the chance. She introduced me to her boss, and I got a job at her company.”
“Very cool. You don’t go home for Christmas either?” He cocked a brow.
“I did the first few years, but then my sister got married and had twins. Now, my mom flies up to Oregon and spends time with them. I really can’t afford to go see them just yet.”
“I have an idea.” He wrapped an arm around her waist. “How about finding a tree and decorating it? We can have our own Christmas here.”
She squealed. “That’s the best suggestion I’ve heard in a while.” He wasn’t prepared to go out in public with her, so she figured he was talking about finding something around the property. “Are you planning on cutting down a pine tree?”
He tapped her nose. “No, silly. Assuming we could even find one small enough, it wouldn’t be environmentally friendly to saw one down when there are so many Christmas tree lots around here. But, there are plenty of branches that have fallen.”
“You want to decorate a branch?”
“Why not?”
Oh, boy. This was going to be a Christmas to remember.
Chapter Thirteen
Kurt hadn’t wanted to leave Chelsea and Drake, but not being on the hunt for Mendez ate away at him. He parked a few blocks down the road from the electronics factory across the street from Mendez’s plant.
He gathered the tools of his trade. The binoculars were a given, but he picked up the sniper weapon in case he got lucky and Mendez happened to walk out the door. Kurt didn’t expect to learn anything other than some data points, such as when people entered and exited the property. That information he’d record on his tablet. If he got real lucky, one of the higher-ups or a possible client might stop by. Armed with sandwiches and drinks, he’d stay all night if need be.
Finding the right vantage point would be difficult. He couldn’t climb the same fire escape Drake had, not without someone seeing him. The best he could do was hide behind a dumpster located across the street.
Even if he gathered all the pertinent information, at the end of the night, he might not be any closer to killing Mendez than before. In fact, neither Mendez nor Couch might ever come near the factory. But he could hope.
He settled in for the long wait. For the first few hours, three men left and three different workers arrived. Like before, the plant ostensibly closed at five. Once the lights in the plant extinguished, the sun began to set, and he pulled out his infrared goggles. Only two guards showed up, but no workers.
While he waited for the action to resume, his mind drifted to Chelsea. She was an amazing woman. Her full breasts fit perfectly in the palm of his hands, and her precious clit was so sensitive.
Stop it.
He blinked and refocused on bringing Jeffrey’s killer to justice.
#
When Drake suggested they get a limb to decorate, she thought they’d comb the beach for some driftwood or something. He told her he’d been kidding, and was pleasantly surprised when he brought her to a craft store. While the place was small, a few small fake trees remained.
He lifted one up that wasn’t more than three feet tall. “How about this one?”
Instead of answering, she headed to a six-foot tree. “I know this is twice as expensive, but could we splurge on this one?”
“Anything for you, darlin’.” He picked up a box of ornaments. “You want these, too?”
She shook her head. “We should make the decorations.” Doing something together would be more romantic.
He cocked a brow. “Come again?”
“I’ll show you.” This was going to be fun. She gathered paper, glue, and scissors.
“You planning on cutting the tree?”
“No, silly. Didn’t you make decorations in elementary school?”
“I don’t remember.”
She looped an arm through his and guided him toward the checkout counter. “Could we stop at the store and get some popcorn?”
“Sure.”
“In that case, I need some thread and some needles.”
“You’re the boss.”
“I highly doubt that.” Her mind shot straight to the bedroom. The twinkle in his eye implied he’d meant for her to recall their wonderful interlude. “The tree might look a little tacky when we’re done, but it’s the thought that counts.”
“I’m sure it will be the best tree we’ve ever had.”
That’s because it would be the only tree they’d ever had. Her only regret was that she didn’t have any presents to give the men.
“While we’re getting the popcorn, how about we pick up a few other things. We can get some apple cider and stuff to make cookies.”
He tugged her close. “That’s a good idea.”
The grocery store was in the same outdoor mall, so they walked over and picked up the items.
“Will Kurt be home soon to help?”
“Knowing him? No.”
That stunk. As much as she liked the idea of having a cozy evening decorating the tree, not having Kurt there would put a damper on everything. She’d grown to care so much for the men that one
without the other just didn’t do it. Her ultimate Christmas present would be making love to both at the same time.
Once they’d found all of the items, they headed home. Drake carried in the tree and set it down, along with the stand. She put the groceries away and then cleared the dining room table to make the decorations.
She spread out the paper. “Okay. Here’s what we’re going to do.” She showed him how to make a four-inch paper band garland. “Take the next one and loop it like this.”
“Basically, we’re making a daisy chain.”
“Yup.”
For the next half hour, they cut and glued. The way they focused on their task, one would have thought they were making intricate nuclear weapons or something. Drake didn’t believe in measuring, but he had a great eye for size. If Kurt had been here, she and Drake would have created ninety percent of the garland to Kurt’s ten percent.
Drake pushed back the chair. “Why don’t I pop the popcorn while you finish the loopy-de-loop?”
Loopy-de-loop? Cute. “Works for me.”
After he made the popcorn, they carefully strung it. They would have had a second strand, but they ate half.
Drake held up the finished string. “It’s time we place this on the tree.”
He’d set it up in the corner. They’d spent time shoving, bragging, and laughing, but in the end, the tree looked adorable. She was glad she let Drake talk her into buying a string of small white lights. When he plugged it in, they kissed to make it official.
Drake grinned. “How about some wine and a movie?”
She couldn’t remember the last time she’d relaxed and done nothing for an evening. “I’d love that.” It might help take her mind off what Kurt was doing.
While Drake got the drinks, she surfed Netflix for something to watch. A romance probably wouldn’t sit well with him. “How about Wolverine?”
His laugh carried from the kitchen. “That movie is ridiculous. How about one of the Transformers?”
She’d watched the first one and liked it. “Sure.”
By the time she’d cued it up, Drake returned with wine and a few kernels of leftover popcorn. “Can’t let this go to waste.”
“Wouldn’t want that.”
They cuddled next to each other like a married couple, and the domestic scene wasn’t lost on her. She swore she didn’t drink more than a glass or two of wine, but when she opened her eyes, he was carrying her into the bedroom—his bedroom. He pulled off her shoes and socks and discarded her jeans. He must have thought she’d rouse if he removed much more, because he left her shirt on. He slipped into bed and pulled her tight. The last thing she remembered was him tugging her close.
When sunlight filled the room, she rolled over and patted the bed. Drake was gone. Even though they hadn’t made love, snuggling next to him capped off a wonderful evening. She got out of bed and shuffled into the kitchen.
He grinned. “Morning, sunshine.”
How come he was so cheerful? She stepped closer. “Wow. You’re making waffles.”
“That okay?”
“Yeah. Is Kurt up?” She rubbed the sleep from her eyes.
“He never came home last night.”
Her stomach soured. “Aren’t you worried? He could have been in a fight and been shot.”
“He can handle himself.”
She didn’t detect anything but sincerity. “That may be, but I’m betting if he spotted Mendez in the parking lot, he’d try to take him down.”
“Could be.”
Drake was being too cavalier. “Aren’t you going to call him?”
He placed the waffles on a plate and brought them over to the table. “He texted me this morning. He’s still observing.”
That would have been good information to know. “It’s Christmas Eve. Can’t he give up on Mendez for two days? The guy will still be an ass the day after Christmas.”
He smiled. “Maybe you should get a job working for the general. We could use more people like you.”
“That’ll be the day. The first thing I’d do would be to rein Kurt in.”
He placed the syrup on the table. “Good luck with that.”
She sat, and as soon as he poured her some coffee, she dug in. “These are fabulous.”
“I’m glad you like them. So what do you want to do today?”
Have sex, walk on the beach, and have more sex. “Maybe we could find a pay phone so I could call my parents.”
“A pay phone? I’m not sure they exist anymore. How about using Skype?”
“That’s too advanced for them.” She had to find some way to contact them. “I’m worried that my mom will freak if she doesn’t talk with me on Christmas. I may not be there in person, but we’ve always phoned.” She drew in her bottom lip.
“How about if we get a disposable phone?”
“Really?” Drake was so wonderful. “You rock.”
Having that dilemma resolved, she allowed her mind to wander to Kurt. She didn’t like how he was driving himself so hard. She took the last bite of her waffle. Yum.
“We should call your general.”
He shoved a whole waffle in his mouth and his cheeks puffed. She could tell he was trying to make her laugh. “Whakdt outhel I dltl that?”
He succeeded. “Swallow, then talk.”
He finished chewing his meal. “Listen. Kurt is battling his own demons. Nothing we say or do will make him change his mind about going after Mendez.”
If he loved me he would want to be with me. “You’re right.” Damn.
#
The dumpster stunk, but Kurt’s vantage point was too good to consider moving. He’d spotted Mendez going into the factory an hour ago, but he wasn’t able to do anything about it. The man had an entourage of men around him from the moment he exited the car. Hearts were tricky places to hit.
Kurt nearly gave in to the urge to rush in and spray bullets around the office, but the chances of not being caught were too slim.
He’d already gone through his stash of food. Leaving his prized spot to get more supplies wasn’t an option. Mendez might slip out and defeat the one chance he had of capturing the bastard.
Perhaps Drake was able to glean some information from his bugs. He pulled out his cell. Keeping an eye on the entrance and Mendez’s car, he dialed Drake.
When he answered, Chelsea’s laugh in the background made his cock ache.
“Hey! What’s up?” Drake said. He sounded like they were having a lot of fun.
He told him about spotting Mendez. “He might be in his office. Did you happen to pick up any chatter?” He suspected Drake might not have been monitoring the computer as closely as Kurt would have liked.
“I’m in the kitchen now. I’ll check. Can I call you back?”
“Sure.” He disconnected, hoping the reason for the delay wasn’t so they could finish making love.
Don’t even go there.
Kurt had used his phone to take a movie of Mendez going into the building, but he doubted anyone without a magnifying glass would be able to tell the man’s identity.
He sat up. The door to the warehouse opened, and Mendez and his group exited. Kurt took aim, but he didn’t have a clean shot at the man’s heart. Damn. Why couldn’t the man be human? A shot to the head would have done the trick.
He slumped back. An instant death would be too good for the man responsible for so many teenage deaths—including his brother’s, not to mention Jeffrey’s.
Once the car pulled away, Kurt’s cell vibrated. “Mendez is gone,” he said without waiting for Drake to tell him that piece of news.
“Yeah. He didn’t make any calls, but I heard him say there was a shipment going out of the port next week. He’ll be meeting with Statler and Reinhold tomorrow.”
Those two men were as important as Harvey Couch in the organization. “Did he say where?”
“No.”
He leaned back against the wall. “Thanks.” Kurt disconnected.
He made a
note in his tablet about the time Mendez arrived, the port information, and the meeting date. Since tomorrow was Christmas, he figured there wouldn’t be much activity unless the meeting was held here.
It was going to be a long night and an even longer day. Perhaps tomorrow morning, he’d call home to hear his mom’s voice. With Jeffrey’s death, she’d be extra sad, even though her sisters would be there to help with the pain.
#
“Wake up, sleepy head. It’s Christmas!”
Drake gently shook Chelsea’s shoulder. After making love with him last night, she’d been so tired, she’d slept like the dead. As wonderful as the experience had been with him, something had been missing—Kurt. Not that she’d ever made love with two men at the same time, but she could only imagine how fantastic it would be with Drake and Kurt.
“I’m awake.” But only a little.
She sat up and rubbed her eyes. Drake pulled her T-shirt off, bent over, and licked her nipples.
“Hey, they’re tender.”
He laughed. “Come on, then. I made you breakfast.” He tossed her T-shirt back at her and strode out.
As soon as she smelled the coffee, she dressed in a hurry. They decided they’d make the cookies they forgotten to make yesterday to give them something to do. No doubt, she’d be glancing at the clock every hour, wondering if she’d ever see Kurt again.
Drake kept the tree plugged in. It had to have been one of the nicest ones she’d ever had.
When she reached the kitchen, Drake had made berry-filled crepes and filled two steaming cups of coffee. “These look amazing.” What couldn’t the man make?
“They don’t call me Chef Drake for nothing.”
She laughed, but worry quickly doused it. “What if Kurt isn’t ever able to get Mendez? He can’t sit outside forever.”
“I imagine the general and his men will figure out where they are and take over.”
“You’re still not going to tell them?”
He sipped his coffee. “Closure means a lot to Kurt.”
“Being obsessed can kill a person’s spirit.”
He reached across the table and rubbed her hand. “I’ll speak with him if nothing happens by next week.”