Freeze Frame

by Judith Rochelle

  “Speaking of which,” Mark said, “should we jog our friend Mr. Pelley again and see what we can pry out of him, or is that a bad idea?”

  “He’s got the FBI all over him,” Mike reminded him, “and Special Agent Anthony Delaware doesn’t seem to want our company. I say let Andy monitor everything in cyberspace while we work things from our end.”

  “You don’t really think Brent Fontaine had anything to do with this, do you?” Faith wanted to know.

  Mike shook his head. “No. I just wanted to rattle his cage good so he’ll leave Kat alone. And I want to see what Andy digs up on him too.”

  “Speaking of which.” Mark was standing by the laptop, watching the screen. “Four emails from Andy. I’m going to pull them up and see what he sent.”

  The first two were copies of the emails sent to Pelley and the others. Faith couldn’t help the tiny gasp that escaped when she saw the photos.

  “Oh, my god.” Her voice reflected the horror she was looking at. “Oh, Mark.” She moved close to her husband who wrapped an arm around her.

  “Let’s see what else Andy sent,” Mike interjected, “and get it all out in the open before Katherine comes back in the room.”

  “I wish we’d brought the portable printer with us,” his partner told him. “I can’t believe we were stupid enough to leave it behind. I’ll go out a little later and pick one up. Meanwhile, save everything to the flash drive and I’ll go downstairs and print it all out.”

  The other emails held all the details they asked for on Ron Pelley, Ryan Post and Rand Prescott, as well as what Andy had been able to pull up quickly on Brent Fontaine. Mike sat at the table, scrolling through each document.

  “Well, there’s plenty of bad blood between Sydney Wright and her brother,” he commented. “Their wealthy parents left them each enormous trust funds but Ryan Post doesn’t seem to have managed his very well. And his spas seem to be more of a financial drain than a thriving business. There’s a little item here about a very public fight brother and sister had at a party where he asked her and Eli for a substantial loan and they turned him down.”

  “In public?” Mark couldn’t hide his surprise.

  “Yup. Apparently he hadn’t been able to talk to them in private, he was drunk at this party and made quite a scene.”

  “What else?”

  “Rand Prescott is listed as a millionaire speculator who’s partnered with Eli Wright in some specific deals. Andy says he hasn’t gotten much on him yet but he’s checking more into all of them and also trying to get copies of Prescott’s financial statements.”

  “If anyone can do it, he can,” Faith laughed.

  “Ron Pelley is very interesting,” Mike went on. “From what Andy’s found so far, his personal financial situation fluctuates. He’s been on the bottom as much as he’s been on top.”

  “Drugs?” Mark asked. “Gambling? Stock speculation?”

  “He’s checking. Right now any of the three could be the frog in the pond here. I still think it’s strange that all three were contacted by the kidnappers.”

  “Diversion. Throw people of the scent.”

  “Unless they’re all in it together. Someone had to set this up with whoever staged the kidnapping and feed them the right information.”

  “Pull up those pictures again. Let’s see if they tell us anything.”

  “Oh, God!”

  No one had seen Katherine come in. Suddenly she was standing beside them, her eyes wide with shock as she looked at the photos on the screen.

  Mike jumped up from where he was sitting and led her away from the table. “Don’t look, kitten. Please.”

  “No. I have to see. It might help me in my session.” Her face was set in grim lines. “Really. I can handle it.”

  The arrival of her sandwich provided a momentary distraction. She insisted on sitting at the table and studying the photos while she ate. Finished, she pushed the plate away and asked them to clear everything off the table except the laptop and to leave the photos up on the screen.

  “Where are the pictures you printed out?” she asked Mike.

  “Right here.” He picked them up from the sofa table where he’d left them.

  “All right. Here’s my picture of Mari.” She took it from the pocket of the jeans she’d put on and placed it next to the shot of the Wrights. Then she pulled the laptop around so she could see all the photos at once. “Can you close the drapes please and just leave one small lamp on?”

  “No problem.” Mike hurried to close the heavy drapes, darkening the room and turning on one small table lamp.

  He sat in the armchair again while the Hallorans took the couch, all eyes on Kat as she gathered herself to begin.

  With Brent Fontaine finally out of her life, Kat was convinced her powers would be stronger, more focused. That her concentration would be greater. She studied each of the pictures in front of her very closely, then lifted her eyes and stared straight ahead. Just like always, the images wavered and blurred. She saw a piece of a dirt road, a tree, a dog running across her vision as if crossing a video screen. Then everything disappeared. She blinked, forcing her attention.

  She opened her eyes and looked at the photos again, then closed them and focused. The road came into view again, the dog and this time a corner of a building. She tried to zero in on the building, to bring up a larger image of it but she was hung up on the corner.

  Okay. Try again.

  This time she saw more of the road, leading upward toward an ugly square adobe hut. And for the first time she saw a man, dressed in dirty khaki pants and shirts. The dog was running around him, barking at him. Once more everything faded.

  Then she blinked and like always, the image became crystal clear. She saw part of the adobe building, a large gun slung over the man’s shoulder as he leaned against the wall, a truck parked off to the side and in the background what was either a large hill or a small mountain. The blazing sun was casting shadows, hinting at the presence of others to the side of the hut.

  It froze in her vision for a long moment, snapped by an imaginary camera, then it was gone.

  Kat tried to call it back but all she could see were fragments again.

  “Please turn on the light and open the drapes,” she said in quiet voice.

  “What did you see, kitten?” Mike was at her elbow with a glass of water.

  She drank from it thirstily, then explained the picture she’d been able to call up.

  “I need more,” she told him, then looked at Mark and Faith. “But I didn’t feel a weakening of my gift this time, only a lack of sufficient information.” She blew out a sigh. “I think getting Brent Fontaine off my back has made a major difference.”

  “And we’ll make sure he stays off your back,” Mike told her. “I’ll check with Wagner in a few minutes, make sure he gets on the plane back to Tampa and have one of our men pick him up there. He’ll have a shadow glued to him every minute. Until he moves on to someone else, that is.”

  “I don’t wish him on anyone else,” Kat protested. “But I’ll be glad not to have a million calls a day from him.”

  “So what’s your best guess?” Mark asked. “Any idea where they might be? Any clue at all?”

  She told them what she’d seen. “They aren’t in California, though. I definitely got that sense. They’ve been taken to a different country.”

  “The closest is Mexico,” Mike put in. “And that would make the most sense. Whoever has them wouldn’t want to transport them halfway around the world.”

  “I hate to be the voice of gloom,” Faith said, “but I’m just doing research for a book on a subject that’s been hot on the news. Kidnappings by drug cartels. They target prominent, wealthy individuals, take them over the border and extort exorbitant amounts in ransom.”

  “Jesus,” Mark breathed. ”Drug cartels. That puts a whole new light on things.”

  “It damn well sure does,” Mike agreed. He crouched down next to Kat. ”I hate to say this b
ut it also ups the danger factor.” His fingers caressed the nape of her neck as if trying to assure her things would still be okay.

  She finished the water and set the glass down. “One thing I don’t want you to do is soft-pedal things for me. I can’t be of any use unless I know every fact available.” She swallowed the lump in her throat. “I’m scared to death for Mari. But is it really any worse having her held captive by a drug dealer than some other criminal? Her life is just as much at risk.”

  Mike kissed her cheek, then rose to his feet. “You’re right. And it gives us a new angle to pursue.”

  Mark picked up the stack of papers they’d printed out from Andy’s emails. “Why don’t I take these to my room and go over them. I’ll call Andy and tell him to see if he can find any connection at all between the three men and any drug organization. I’ll also have him do a search for the cartels who’ve been most active in this kind of thing lately.”

  “I have some stuff on my computer too,” Faith chimed in. “And I can have Tia, my research assistant, email anything new she’s come up with. It’s not hard to find. These men don’t seem to shun publicity.”

  “Why should they?” Mike said in a bitter tone. “Our government seems to be powerless to deal with anything on the other side of the border. The Mexican government is too corrupt and the politics are too shaky.”

  “So what can we do?” Kat asked.

  “Take care of it like we always do. Monitor new emails to the three men. Try to trace their source. Find out where the hostages are being held and go in and get them.”

  “That simple, huh?”

  “Well.” He smiled. “Almost.” He looked at the Hallorans. “And what will Katherine and I be doing while you’re rustling up all this information?”

  “Kat looks like she could use some rest and I think you can help her relax.” Mark winked and Kat blushed.

  “How about if we meet for dinner about eight o’clock?” Mike asked.

  “Could we have room service?” Kat asked. “I don’t think I feel like eating in a restaurant after the day we’ve had.” She looked at Mark and Faith. “Unless you’d rather not. We can eat here by ourselves.”

  “Not a problem.” Faith gave her a quick hug. “I’ll call you in plenty of time to call in our order. And add a couple of bottles of good wine. I think we could all use it.”

  She pushed her husband out the door and closed it behind them.

  Kat looked at Mike, suddenly feeling self-conscious. She’d told him she wanted to share the suite with him. Told him she wanted to be with him. Told him she wanted to pick up where they left off. Now she wondered if she’d misread what he’d said and done. She didn’t know what to do next.

  But Mike, reading her mood as always took charge of the moment. He lifted her from the chair, cradling her in his arms. His mouth descended on hers, gently at first then with a firmer pressure.

  “We’ve been leading up to this since this morning,” he told her in a voice filled with desire. “You know it and I know it. It’s past time. Open for me, kitten,” he said, his lips touching hers.

  When she opened her mouth, his tongue swept in like a hot wire, trailing flame everywhere in the wet cavern of her mouth, brushing over her teeth, her gums, then mating with her own small tongue. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled his head closer, tasting him and savoring his flavor. God, she’d forgotten how good this was. How just his touch generated such heat in her body. How his kisses sent electrical jolts to every one of her pulse points. She could already feel moisture gathering between her thighs and her nipples pressing against the thin fabric of her shirt.

  He never lifted his mouth from hers as he carried her into the bedroom. His tongue continued to plunge and sweep until they reached the bed and he set her on her feet. She was breathless when he broke the kiss.

  “Maybe we shouldn’t be doing this in the middle of this mess,” he said, his own voice not quite steady, “but damn it, Kat, we both need this. You know that.”

  “Yes, I do.”

  “I owe you a very huge apology,” he began but she stopped him.

  “We’re past that. Time to move ahead. I need you, Mike. More than ever before.”

  “You’ve got me, kitten. All the way. Forever. I’m never making the same stupid mistake again.” He kissed the tip of her nose. “Don’t move. Stay right there.”

  She watched as he raced into the bathroom, grabbing something from his shaving kit and dropping condoms on the night stand. Her eyes widened at the size of the pile.

  “Very self-confident, aren’t you.”

  “Optimistic and hopeful is more like it. Now where were we?”

  He reached for the buttons on her blouse, releasing them one at a time and pulling the fabric from the waistband of her jeans and pushing it down her arms. When his fingers easily undid the front clasp on her bra and her breasts sprang free he sucked in his breath, his eyes flaring with heat. The need in his gaze made her nipples harden even more and her breasts ache. He cupped them in his palms, thumbs rasping the sides, his eyes feasting on them as if he couldn’t turn away.

  Her knees wobbled and she was afraid if she didn’t sit down she’d fall down. Just his touch was enough the start the pulse at her core pounding relentlessly.

  “Beautiful,” he whispered. “So beautiful.”

  Gently he pushed the sleeves of her blouse and the straps of her bra down her arms until they fell away to the floor. His lips brushed first one nipple, then the other and a shiver skated over her body. She clutched his upper arms for support, her head thrown back as she arched toward him.

  His fingertips traced circles around her areolas, a feather of a touch that might just as well have been a jolt of lightning as streamers of heat raced to every part of her body.

  “Michael,” she whispered.

  When his hands drifted lower to the snap and zipper of her jeans she moved her hands to unbutton his shirt, pushing it aside as he had done to hers and running her fingers through the fine pelt of dark hair covering his chest. His flat nipples peeked out from beneath the dark curls, nipples that hardened as hers did when she scraped her fingernails over them.

  Suddenly he was in a frenzy to remove their clothes as quickly as possible.

  “I can’t stand to wait.” His voice was thick with desire. “It’s been too long and I want you so badly. Help me here.”

  She pushed off her jeans and thong with shaking hands as Mike toed off his shoes and socks and stripped off his own clothes, kicking them to the side.

  And then they were naked, skin to skin, every inch of their bodies pressed together. The thickness of his erection was pushed hotly against the softness of her belly and he bent his head to suck briefly at each of her breasts. Then he yanked the covers back on the bed and lifted her to the cool sheets. In a moment he was stretched out beside her, running his hands over her body, relearning every dip and curve and swell.

  She could feel the electricity humming between them, her hormones leaping to attention as he worshiped every inch of her body. One of his hard-muscled thighs insinuated itself between her soft ones and she felt his hot shaft pressing against her, hard and ready. When his hand trailed down past her navel to the thatch of curls covering her mound and lower still to the wet seam, she heard his moan se he became aware she was as ready as he was.

  “I can’t wait,” he told her. “We’ll take it slow next time but, kitten, I have to be inside you. Right now.”

  “Do it,” she told him, wriggling her hips in invitation. God, it felt so good to be with him again. It was definitely time to put the past to rest.

  He reached across her to the night table, grabbed one of the condoms and ripped the foil wrapper open with his teeth. When he knelt between her legs to sheath himself, the desire burning in his eyes was so intense it took her breath away.

  He teased at her pubic hair, then slid two fingers inside her, testing her readiness. They came out coated with her juices and he carefully lick
ed every drop.

  “Now, Katherine,” he rasped.

  Putting his hands beneath her thighs, he raised her legs to give himself better access, pressed the tip of his erection to her opening, then with one swift stroke entered her completely.

  Kat felt rockets explode throughout her body, her pulse drumming in her ears and her blood racing like fast running rapids. She shifted to take him even deeper, then locked her ankles behind him and pulled him close.

  They moved together in a motion so familiar it was as if they’d never been parted. Each time he withdrew her muscles quivered with the loss of his presence. When he re-entered her they clasped him tightly, sheathing him, sucking him into her body. She opened her eyes to watch him above her, every one of his muscles taut with strain, sweat dripping from his face.

  She felt her climax building so quickly she was afraid she’d get ahead of him but then he rasped, “I can’t hold it any longer, Kat. I can’t wait.”

  “Me either,” she whispered.

  They came together in an explosion so intense it was like all the fireworks on the Fourth of July. Her muscles spasmed over and over as she felt him throbbing deep inside her sheath, the only thing separating them the thin covering of latex. With the last shudder he threw his head back and screamed her name, then fused his mouth to hers as the convulsions died away.

  For a long time she lay beneath him, completely spent, the room filled with the scratchy sound of air being dragged into lungs. She wasn’t sure whose heart she felt beating ferociously, hers or his. He lay atop her, catching most of his weight on his forearms, his lips pressed against the damp column of her neck.

  At last he slid from her gently, rolled to the side and said, “Give me a minute here.”

  She heard him in the bathroom disposing of the condom, then he was back, stretched out beside her, pulling her against him so her head was tucked into his shoulder and his hands stroked her spine and buttocks.

  “We wasted so much time because I was such a stupid ass,” he told her.

  “I thought we weren’t going to talk about that anymore.”