by Mia Dymond
Determined to practice some sort of restraint, he began a slow, smooth stroke, taking great care to massage every muscle within reach. Her body swallowed him whole, sucked him deep inside and held him in a death grip he had no chance of escaping.
“Ah hell, Tess,” he groaned. “This is gonna be fast. I’ll make it up to you, I promise.”
One of those cock-strangling laughs left her throat and then her legs wrapped his hips and squeezed, forcing him further inside.
Now to the point of no return, he began to thrust faster and harder. His hips pistoned like a well-oiled machine and his elbows shook beneath him, warning that he may not be able to brace himself much longer.
A long, satisfied moan left her pouty pink lips and his cock went rogue.
He took one more, long, hard stroke and then the explosion that originated low in his belly ripped through him, driving extreme pleasure out through his cock. His brain was putty as he attempted to pull air through his lungs.
He looked down, even more satisfied when he saw the look of utter content in her eyes. He lowered his head and placed a kiss to her lips. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” she whispered.
He rolled off her and pulled her back against him, her magnificent ass pressed to his now sated cock.
“Sleep,” he told her. “I’ll wake you in a couple hours.”
***
Settled into his favorite chair in the comfort of his parlor, he puffed on his cigar, eager to relay the change in strategy to the mark. He had given ample warning as to what would happen if his rules were not followed; now it was too late to make amends.
He didn’t wait for the phone to ring this time. Instead, he dialed the number that had called him many times before. The phone was answered promptly.
“I have taken out an insurance policy to assure your compliance,” he said in lieu of introduction.
“I don’t understand why you think that’s necessary.”
“It is necessary because you have failed several times. I am now positive you will comply.”
“May I ask what you have arranged?”
“Your loved one is here with me.”
“What?” The tremble in the mark’s voice made him sure he had taken appropriate measures. “Why? I still have time and I’m going to get the money.”
“Do not lower yourself to beg. I am most unhappy with how long this transaction has taken. As long as you obey this time, no one will be harmed.”
“Everything is under control. I will have the money by the due date.”
“See that you do. Bring the money to the rendezvous point at 2:00 p.m. on Thursday and we will make the exchange.”
“If you hurt …”
The line went dead - an omen for things to come if the mark did not cooperate.
CHAPTER EIGHT
While the team huddled in the conference room at SEALs, Inc., Ranger paced from one end of the table to the other while Hawke clicked the keyboard on his laptop, digging deeper into the Hicks’ background.
“We have chairs,” Shadow drawled. “Comfortable ones, thanks to Cameron.”
Ranger scowled. “I have to move. It helps me think.”
“Are you coming to any conclusions?”
“The only viable suspects we have are Campbell and Warren Hicks.”
Sterling shook his head. “Campbell’s not the perp. We’ve known him for years and besides, he doesn’t have a motive.”
“So far we haven’t found a motive for Warren either,” Hawke added without moving his eyes from the screen. “But my money’s on him.”
Steele nodded in agreement. “My gut says it’s Warren, too.”
“This is interesting,” Hawke looked up from the computer screen. “Warren and Veronica Hicks are darn near broke.”
Ranger frowned. “Come again?”
“According to the First National Bank of Diablo, they have exactly $200.37 in their joint checking account.”
“How is that possible? Veronica makes a killing off profit at The Cathouse.”
Hawke clicked several more keys. “There are several substantial withdrawals in the last week. Somewhere to the tune of, hell I don’t know, a lot of money.”
“That shows motive.” Shadow folded his arms across his chest. “But we still don’t know for sure which one of them is responsible.”
“Agreed.” Sterling took a long, narrow box out of his pocket and slid it toward Ranger.
Curious, he picked it up. “What’s in here?”
“Open it.”
Ranger opened the box. Inside, a shiny, chunky, gold bracelet rested on a pillow of silky material.
He smirked. “Does Cameron know about this?”
“Funny. It’s for Tess. The bracelet is equipped with a GPS chip. Tell her she needs to wear it until we figure out what the hell’s going on.”
Shadow leaned forward and braced his elbows on his knees. “Before I left home this morning, Claire said we should watch out for each other. She feels something evil and it involved us and Tess.”
“Holly was upset too,” Steele added. “But she didn’t know why.”
Sterling frowned. “Where’s Tess now?”
“She had to figure payroll today,” Ranger told them, “so she went to The Cathouse a little early. She promised to lock herself inside.”
“Here’s the plan. Ranger, you and Shadow go to Tess, lock her in the bracelet and keep your eyes glued to her. Steele and I will run surveillance on Mr. and Mrs. Hicks.”
Hawke closed his laptop. “I’ll call the bank. Maybe they’ll provide security tapes.”
“Good idea,” Sterling told him as they scattered. “I’ll check in with you later for Intel.”
Tess fired up her laptop, prepared to figure payroll when she heard a loud pounding at the back door. Strange. Maybe someone forgot their key. She checked her watch as she headed out of her office and down the hallway. The other employees weren’t due to arrive for a couple of hours.
She stood on her tiptoes and peered through the peephole, surprised when she saw Warren standing on the other side, holding his briefcase. She unlocked and opened the door, prepared to send him on his way.
“Hi, Warren. Jack’s not here right now.”
He crowded inside and shut the door behind him. “I don’t need to see Jack. I need your signature on some papers and it will only take a minute.”
“Mine? Let’s go to my office.”
Tess led the way, puzzled that Warren came at this time of day. How did he even know she would be there? She rounded her desk and sat in her chair while Warren sat in the empty chair in front of her desk and fumbled with the latches on his briefcase.
She finally released a hard sigh. “I’m sorry, Warren, but my house was broken into last night and I really don’t have time right now.”
Warren finally loosened the latches and then took a gun out of his briefcase and pointed it at her. “You’ll make time.”
“It was you? You stole the money and broke into my house?”
“It was easy.”
“Why?”
“For the money of course. I owe some people a lot of money and they’re not very patient. You took away my source, so now I’ll take your money. Since I couldn’t find your safe last night, you’re going to go with me to your house now, open the safe, and hand over the funds.”
Pushed to her absolute breaking point, she refused to take him seriously. He never struck her as highly intelligent; he probably didn’t even load the gun.
“Put the gun away, Warren. You know there’s no way you’ll ever get away with this.”
He stood and motioned with the gun for her to come around the desk. “Come on, let’s go. We’ll take your car and you will drive. Just remember, I have this gun so don’t try anything heroic.”
She almost laughed in his face. What on Earth could she possibly try? She didn’t have any kind of self-defense skills and her only other skill consisted of sensual dance; he was certain
ly not in the mood for a pole dance and she refused to even give him one to distract him.
She led the way through the club until they stood at the back door. She mentally smacked her forehead – why in the world did she ever let him inside?
“Open it.” He pressed the gun against the small of her back.
She opened the door and stepped outside, blinking several times to clear her vision of the polka dots that danced there.
“Go,” he demanded.
“I can’t see.”
She squinted and finally attempted to clear her vision enough to see that the parking lot was empty except for her car and Warren’s. As badly as she’d hoped someone might be passing by, there was no one else around. With no other choice, she entered her car and drove away, realizing there was a distinct possibility she may never return.
From behind the steering wheel of his truck, Ranger maneuvered through the traffic easily enough while question marks bounced around in his head. Were the robberies at The Cathouse related to Tess’s break-in? And, why was nothing missing from her home? She had valuable artwork and antiques that could have been sold for cash. He had concluded that someone needed fast cash, but why?
“You’re thinking it to death,” Shadow said from beside him.
“Maybe something will fall into place if I keep going over it.”
“Step back for a minute and give your brain a rest.”
He stopped at a red light and drummed his thumbs on the steering wheel. “I suppose now you’re going to suggest I meditate?”
“The light’s green.” Shadow shrugged. “I’ve never done it, but my wife swears by it.”
Ranger turned a corner. “Do I dare ask why Sterling has a bracelet equipped with GPS?”
Shadow chuckled. “Actually, there are six of them. Hawke and Sterling came up with them. When Holly was being threatened, all our wives wore one. Those bracelets saved the day.”
“Do they still wear them?”
“Only if there’s a threat. So far, we’ve only needed them that one time.”
“I’m hoping it will prove to be unnecessary this time.”
“You and me both.”
He pulled into the back lot behind The Cathouse and shifted into park. He noticed only one car in the lot and it didn’t belong to Tess.
Shadow frowned. “Isn’t that Warren’s car?”
“Yeah.” Ranger palmed his cell phone and dialed Tess. Seconds ticked by. “Voicemail.” He disconnected and dialed her office number. “No answer.” He slammed the steering wheel with his fist. “Sonuvabitch’s got her!”
“Get a grip, Ranger.” Shadow slid his phone from his pocket and began pushing numbers. “He wants money. Let’s check the house.”
He shifted into drive and gunned the accelerator. Shadow frantically grabbed the door handle and his phone fell into the floor.
“Should’ve had your seatbelt on,” Ranger spat.
“It is on, otherwise I’d be down there with my phone.”
“You need to make a call now?”
“Thought it’d be in our best interest to keep Sterling in the loop,” Shadow drawled. “But hey, it’s your ass when he finds out.”
He slung his phone at his friend. “Use mine. Dial.”
Shadow punched numbers just as he rounded a corner, squealing the tires as he turned.
“It may take me awhile to dial at this rate.” His teammate shook his head. “We won’t be able to help her if you kill us before we get there.”
Ranger slowed the truck and attempted to summon his self-control. Adrenaline, what a bitch.
“Thank you. I’m putting it on speaker.”
He listened to the ringing tones, a little more calm when Sterling answered.
“Sterling.”
“Warren’s got Tess,” Shadow told him. “They’re in her Mercedes.”
“How do we know this?”
Shadow explained the scene at The Cathouse. “And we can’t get her on her phone.”
“What’s your twenty?”
“We’re headed to Tess’s house. We think he may have taken her there to get the money.”
“I’ll have Hawke monitor your movement. Keep the bracelet in your pocket.”
Her hands were shaking so badly that Tess dropped her keys twice when she tried to unlock the front door of her home. Once she had the door open, Warren pushed her inside and waited while she silenced the alarm.
“Take me to the safe.”
She hesitated at the bottom of the stairs. “It’s not too late for you to change your mind. Don’t do this.”
“I don’t have a choice.” He waved the gun at her. “They’re holding Veronica. Now, go. Lead the way.”
She led him up the stairs and into the master bedroom closet, dead woman walking echoing through her mind the whole way. She knew for certain that once he had the money in hand, she would most likely be toast – buttered and halved.
She refused to let that happen. She couldn’t bear the thought of Ranger or her parents finding her body. She hesitated with her hand on the closet doorknob, racking her brain to figure out if she had anything inside to whack him upside the head with.
“What are you waiting for?” he demanded. “Open the door!”
She opened the door slowly, taking an extra second to scan the interior for a weapon. Unfortunately, the only choices she had were empty handbags or shoes.
“Where is it? You’d better be truthful, Tess.”
She pointed to the shoe racks. “The safe is behind.”
“Move them.”
Tess moved both of the racks and then he gave an evil laugh. “Open it.” He tossed her an empty purse from the wall. “Fill this up.”
“Oh come on, Warren, that’s my favorite bag.” She hoped her hesitation wasn’t too obvious. She knew that the more she stalled, the more chance there was that someone would find her. “Choose another.”
“Oh, for crying out loud! Fill up the stupid bag!”
Tess bent to her knees and began turning the dial. Right 16. Left 23. Right 3. As soon as the combination was entered, the tumbler clicked and the door swung open. She took the bag from Warren and crammed several bundles of cash inside.
She looked up at him when the safe was empty. “That’s it. What happens now?”
“We make the exchange. You and the money for Veronica.”
He took her arm and pulled her to her feet, then shoved her out the closet door.
“Tell me, Warren, how did you get our codes at The Cathouse?”
“Easy. I just pulled your job application out of Veronica’s files. I found hers on our insurance policies.”
Tess almost felt sorry for Veronica. This man, who she loved and trusted, had abused his position as her husband. “That was pretty risky, using her code. What if she’d been arrested?”
“Not a chance.” He motioned with the gun for her to leave the bedroom and then descend the stairs. “I gave her an alibi. No one had any proof she was ever there.”
He directed her on out the front door. “Where are we going?”
“I’ll give you directions. Get back into the car.”
Tess slid behind the wheel, headed down her driveway, and turned back onto the street, taking one last look in the rearview mirror to see if anyone followed. Unfortunately, no one was there.
The farther out of town she drove, the more Tess’s heart sank. The lush green lawns and grandiose homes changed to abandoned buildings surrounded by dirt and cacti. Tumbleweeds threatened to block their path and the traffic thinned quickly.
“Are you sure we’re in the right place?” Hope began to bloom inside her; perhaps they were lost. “There’s nothing out here.”
“It’s just up ahead. See that old gas station? Pull in there.”
Tess followed directions and parked beside the old, rusty gas pumps. As she turned off the engine, a shiny black limousine stopped in front of them and a giant of a man stepped out of the driver’s side.
Sh
e released a hard breath. This is so no happening. She had to be stuck in a very bad, yet realistic nightmare. Again.
“Get out with the bag,” Warren told her.
He waited until she exited the car before he did the same. When they both stood beside her car, the driver of the limo ran his hands over Warren in a quick pat-down, glancing at the gun in his hand. Then he did the same to her.
Apparently satisfied that she was no threat, he turned and walked back to the limo, stopping at the back door this time. The window lowered and he leaned down to speak to the person inside.
“They’re clean, sir.”
Tess watched as an older, shorter, graying man exited the car with Veronica in tow. He was elegantly dressed in a three-piece suit, but the gun in his hand ruined the effect. He bowed slightly toward her.
“Miss Michaels, what a surprise. How delightful to meet you.”
She rolled her eyes, not humored by his attempt at manners. “Under the circumstances, I’m afraid I can’t say the same.”
Warren snatched the bag from her hands and offered it to him.
He nodded at his driver. “Antonio, would you be so kind as to fetch that for me?”
“Of course, sir.”
Warren took her elbow. “I hoped you’d take care of this one little loose end for me. There’s extra in the bag for your trouble.”
“Now, now, Warren. You are certainly in no position to bargain. You have caused me much trouble already.”
“I’ve done everything you’ve asked. Please, just let me take my wife and you’ll never hear from us again.”
He shook his head. “I’m afraid that won’t be possible. I do, however, thank you for bringing this lovely woman to me. Her family will pay a great deal of money for her safe return. For that, I will have Antonio make your punishment quick so that you will not suffer.”
“No.” Warren shoved her in front of him and placed the gun to her temple. “Let us go right now or I’ll kill her. Then you won’t see any of her millions.”
Antonio reached into his jacket and pulled out a gun.