She froze. “He had no right.”
“He has a duty and a responsibility. Two people lost their daughters a long time ago, and they never found out what happened to them. At the very least, it’ll let him rule you out.”
She was silent all the way to the hotel. When they arrived, David unloaded her things and dropped her at the front door. She waited in the lobby, quietly thinking about a nameless, faceless couple who’d spent the last twenty-six years wondering if their little girls were dead or alive. When David rejoined her, she said, “I don’t have to meet them if I don’t want to.”
“You don’t. But Summer might want to, and that’s her decision to make.”
Her protective instincts and her hackles both rose. “I agree, but we can’t lay this on her right now. She’s spent the last three years in a coma, and she just found out our dad died. She’s been through enough for now.”
He waited for the elevator doors to close before responding. “Take it one day at a time, Sugar. Today, you’re going to take a nap, eat something decadent, and have at least one orgasm.”
She could handle that.
Dean was still asleep when they arrived, so they crept quietly to David’s room. “Shower.” She stripped out of her sleep pants and the old shirt she’d been wearing when Stephanie had decided to visit. “I smell like a hospital.”
David followed her, peeling his wrinkled clothes away and dropping them on the floor. He washed her hair, massaging her scalp and the back of her neck, and then he cleaned every inch of her skin. His possessive touch lacked heat, yet it brimmed with reverence. Afterward, he dried her the same way. She waited for the tenor of his caress to change, subtly alter as it became demanding, but it didn’t. He tucked her into bed, and then he curled his body around hers.
“Sir?”
“Yeah?”
“I miss you.”
He tightened his hold. “I’m right here.”
She turned, rubbing her body against his, and slid her hands up his chest. “My pussy wants to give Little Sir one hell of a hug right now.” She brushed her lips across his, ending with a teasing nibble.
“Sugar, yesterday you almost died.”
Wrapping her hand around his dick, she coaxed it to life. “Today I want proof that I’m alive. Show me, Sir. Please love me.”
He kissed her, the slow slide of his lips taking easy possession, and his hands roamed her body. She’d longed for his touch for far too long. Though it had been days, it seemed like months. He hadn’t restricted her movement, so she indulged in a leisurely exploration of his body. Soon his kisses deepened, and urgency dictated their actions.
He rolled onto his back and drew her on top. “You’re going to ride me, Sugar. Keep your eyes on me. I want to watch you come.”
“Yes, Sir.” She slid down his length, the fullness marking her as irrevocably his. She rotated her hips to establish a rhythm. His thumb found her clit, and his other hand cupped her breast. He caressed her gently, circling her clit slowly while his other hand wandered over her skin. Tension took its time curling in her abdomen, but she didn’t care if she ever came. The feel of him inside her, the connection they shared—that’s what fed her soul.
Then he pinched her nipple, twisting it viciously. She cried out, and heat flooded between her legs.
“Don’t stop, Sugar.”
“Yes, Sir.” Her rhythm had stuttered, and she worked to reestablish it.
He sat up, knocking her off balance, but he caught her as she fell back. Tangling his fist in her hair, he brought her face to his and possessed her with his kiss. He licked her throat and dipped his head to tongue the nipple he’d abused. “You’re mine.”
Completely.
“Say it.”
“I’m yours, Sir, body and soul.”
He flipped her, spread her legs even wider, and pounded his body into hers. She came hard, her pussy convulsing with pleasure as it sucked a climax from him. He collapsed, and she wrapped her arms around him to keep him where she could feel his heart pounding against hers.
When they emerged much later, after a well-deserved nap, they found Malcolm, Dean, and Jesse sitting on the twin sofas watching television. Dean glanced up. “Keith will be here in ten minutes.”
Autumn clutched David’s hand. “He found them?”
“Don’t know. He just said he’d be here in ten minutes.”
Jesse stretched, scratching his belly where his shirt rode up to reveal his toned abdomen. Autumn let herself enjoy the view for a second, until David snagged her around the waist and drew her to him.
“Seriously?”
“If some woman flashes you, I’ll understand if you don’t immediately look away, Sir.”
He chuckled as he bit her lower lip. “We’ll see about that.”
“Apologies,” Malcolm said. “From the noise level, we thought you two finished earlier. Unfortunately, we have a meeting to start.” He set file folders on the coffee table. Dean and Jesse each took one. David let her go, and he grabbed one as well. “This is a summary of everything I’ve been able to pull together about Stephanie Ceichelski. I was able to tie her to many of the recent transfers thanks to David’s decision to install software on each employee’s computer that snaps a picture every time someone attempts to login.”
Autumn read over David’s shoulder. “Wow. Talk about invasion of privacy. Did you get pictures of people picking their noses?”
“Yep.” Malcolm grimaced. “It no longer amazes me what people do when they think nobody’s looking. Anyway, I got what we need. In addition to that evidence—it’s more recent—I’ve found building security footage that shows her using Autumn’s computer on many occasions. The time stamps match the transaction times. I didn’t have time to run them all, but I got enough to convince a judge to drop the charges against Autumn.”
Relieved to have an end to her legal nightmare in sight, Autumn steepled her fingers over her lips. “Thank you.”
Dean sucked in his cheeks. “I’ll have you meet with her attorney first thing in the morning.”
“Having a list of transactions definitely sped up my process. Give me another day or two, and I’ll have everything you need to get a conviction.” Malcolm handed out another folder. “This is a list of other probable victims, based on the times and locations in the transaction history. I’ll turn this over to the FBI today so they can start the investigation. If we had facial recognition software, I would have run a search for Stephanie’s other aliases, but I’m sure Liam will get around to doing that soon, if he hasn’t already.”
David studied Malcolm. “Are you missing the FBI?”
Malcolm ruffled his hair. “Little bit. I miss their resources, but I don’t miss being pulled from one case and assigned to another because of politics or the budget. Same result, though. We protect the innocent and put away the guilty.”
A knock at the door interrupted any deeper thinking Malcolm might have been compelled to do on the issue. Jesse let Keith in. Greetings happened.
Keith took a seat on the sofa next to Malcolm. “The woman known as Stephanie Ceichelski left the US through Detroit Metro last night at nine-forty. We believe she was accompanied by a man in his mid-forties.” He set two photos, both enlargements from airport security cameras. “About five-ten, weight about one-sixty, receding hairline, full beard and mustache. We’ve sent a warning to authorities in Mexico, which is their eventual destination.”
Jesse looked up from the photo. “Mexico? Were there any layovers?”
“Atlanta.”
“Look through security there. They probably changed their flight plans. I’m betting they went to Grand Cayman to get their money, and from there, they can disappear anywhere, especially if they have a boat.” Jesse wiped his palm on his head, thinking.
“That would explain why the Mexican police couldn’t find them.” Keith tapped out a quick text. “They’re traveling under the aliases Jennifer and Jeff Johnson, though if they’ve done this as often as she
bragged, they probably will ditch those and use fresh ones in a new location.”
“And change up their disguises,” Autumn added. She wasn’t sure if that had occurred to these men yet. “Dad always had Summer and me change our style of clothes and the way we fixed our hair when we changed names. Often we got a different haircut altogether.”
Keith stared at her for a second, coolly assessing her for who knew what. Autumn briefly wondered if perhaps Malcolm had slipped up and told his best friend that she had tried to rob an art gallery. Then she rejected the thought. Agent Rossetti would be duty-bound to arrest her if he found out what she’d attempted to do.
“That’s all I have about that topic.” He set a sealed envelope on the table. “This is for Autumn.”
Now it was her turn to stare.
“Test results. You don’t have to open them now, but I’d do it sooner rather than later. There’s a court order pending that would compel testing Summer’s DNA.” He came to her and parked a hand on each shoulder. “The right path isn’t usually the easy one, but you have one hell of a support system.”
“Summer is awake,” Autumn said. “It should be her decision. Just like this should have been mine.”
“I haven’t had kids for very long, but I can’t imagine the hell my life would be if they were suddenly taken away.” Keith released her, spreading his hands wide. “I’d rather be sorry for something I did than something I didn’t do.”
She didn’t get the sense that he was sorry at all, but she also couldn’t muster up any anger. “I’ll remember that and use it at a convenient time in the future.”
“Thanks.” David sucked all the moisture out of the room with that statement. “Like she needs more ammunition to fuel her smart-assery.”
Malcolm and Jesse saw Keith out, and David hugged Autumn.
“Are you okay, Sugar?”
“Yeah. But the FBI isn’t going to get Stephanie, are they?”
“It doesn’t look that way.” Dean picked up the photos that Keith had brought.
The door closed. Though the suite was sizeable, the entryway wasn’t separated from the living room. Malcolm and Jesse returned wearing grim expressions.
“It’s going to take another day for them to go through airport security footage,” Malcolm said. “Then they’ll need a warrant, and then they’ll have to navigate international red tape. It would be so much easier if we could just go to the Cayman Islands, catch them, and sit on them for a day while we wait for the paperwork to catch up.”
Dean nodded. “Sounds like a plan. Jesse, book the flights.”
Autumn frowned. “Who is with Summer right now?”
“Jesse sweet-talked his FBI buddy Brandy Lockmeyer into providing a pair of agents to babysit. She’s fine. I talked to her an hour ago, told her you’d be back after dinner.” Dean gestured to David. “Are you okay with Autumn coming along?”
David sighed. “Last time I went without her, she got arrested and someone tried to kill her. I’d rather keep her with me.”
“She can’t leave the country,” Malcolm said. “She’s out on bail. They’ll arrest her as soon as she gets back. I’ll meet with the lawyer tomorrow, but the judge is going to want Autumn there when the charges are dropped.”
“Don’t meet with the lawyer until we get back,” Autumn said. “Nobody needs to know where I went, and I think Dean means for you to come on the mission.”
Dean and Malcolm had a silent conversation. Autumn thought it consisted of Dean telling Malcolm that he hadn’t meant for him to come, but he was fine with him tagging along.
However, Malcolm took something else away from it. “I’m going to pass. You hired me to consult on the tech end of the investigation, and I’ve done that. This mission is going to be dangerous, and right now, I’m not in a position to take that chance just for the sake of adventure. If you need anything, call me. I can be tech support, but that’s all. Besides, I think you’ve got it handled.”
Dean nodded. “I can respect that. Frankie is on standby in case we need her. Autumn, do you have a passport?”
“If you’re willing to call me Alisha Applebaum, I do.”
Jesse frowned. “I looked through all your fake licenses, but I didn’t see passports or that name. Where were you hiding it?”
“Not telling.” She softened the blow with a wink. “But if you’d like to hire me to consult on unexpected places to hide things in virtually any setting, I’m available. I have no job, and my Sir won’t let me work as a thief or a pro Domina anymore.”
“I never said you couldn’t work as a pro Domina.” David thought for a second. “Though I wouldn’t want that to be your main source of income. I’d never get to see you.”
Malcolm packed up his things. “I’m going to take off. Autumn, Darcy would like to have you over for a girls’ night soon. Give her a call when you get back.” Dean walked him out, the duo conversing in low tones that Autumn couldn’t overhear.
“Fuck it all.” Jesse pounded on the table next to his laptop. “I can book two tickets in the morning and two for tomorrow night. I can’t find four together until the day after tomorrow.”
David went to peer over Jesse’s shoulder. “Book two for the red eye and two for the evening. You and I can go out first, and Dean can bring Autumn later.”
“No.” There was no way Autumn would let them relegate her to backup. “I’m going on the first flight. She tried to kill me, David. I want to be the one to catch her.”
“Sugar, Jesse has skills that you don’t. I need him. Dean will make sure you’re safe.” Concern softened his eyes to light brown.
“Seriously?” She snorted. “I was sneaking around and breaking into places when all you had to worry about was whether the popular girl in eighth grade knew you were alive or not. We’re talking about tracking down Stephanie and her accomplice, capturing them, and babysitting them until the warrants come through and the authorities arrive.”
Jesse grinned, but said nothing even though David looked to him for help. Finally, David said, “You might be able to track them and break in, but you won’t be help in subduing them. Stephanie has a gun, and I’m pretty sure you’ve never held one before.”
She scoffed at that. Her father hadn’t liked guns or violence, but he’d understood the necessity in knowing how to use a weapon. “I know my way around a gun, which, by the way, you’re going to have trouble getting. The Caymans are part of the British Commonwealth, so the only guns available are illegal—and I know my way around the contraband community. Do you?”
David breathed, and his lips moved as he counted ten. “You make some good points,” he conceded. “But if I have Jesse, I won’t need a gun. We can take them down using force.”
“I’ll distract them by being unexpectedly alive, and you can sneak in and bash them over their head with a big stick.” She wiped her hands together as if they’d agreed on a plan. “Simple. Quick. I like it.”
He’d done well with keeping his temper in check while he listened to her ideas, and now he was finished. She could almost see his temperature rising. “I don’t want you to be a target.”
Autumn agreed with that sentiment, but she had different ideas about what it meant. “Fine, then let me do this. She made me a target, and I want to give back the bull’s-eye, preferably in a way that bruises.”
Jesse chuckled and poked David’s rib. “I don’t think you’re winning this one.”
Dean twisted the cap from a bottle of water and leaned against the counter dividing the living area from the kitchenette. “I concur. Book David and Alisha Applebaum on the first flight. You and I will go on the second one. David and Autumn can spend the day tracking down our targets and doing recon on their hideout. By the time we get there, they’ll be ready to go.” He mimicked the wiping of hands. “Hashtag problem solved. Hashtag Dean rules.”
Autumn considered adding a “big ego” hashtag, but she liked that his solution supported what she wanted, so she refrained. Instead, she
turned the full force of her begging face on David. He gave in gracelessly. “Fine. Go grab your bag. I’ll take you to see Summer now.”
Chapter Twenty-One
Autumn had never been on a plane before, and though she had several passports with different aliases, she had never been out of the country. Well, they’d visited Canada when she was little, but that didn’t count. Canada looked so similar that, if it hadn’t been for the stop at the booth on the border, she wouldn’t have known they’d arrived anywhere different from the US.
David let her sit by the window, and she spent a lot of time staring at the clouds and looking at the patches that made up the civilization on the ground. He held her hand, patiently answered a million questions, and watched her with soft eyes and an amused lift to his very kissable lips.
Once they landed, he retrieved their bags and hailed a cab to take them to the hotel Jesse had booked. He’d been quiet for most of the flight, but now that they were ready to begin the investigation, worry lines creased his forehead.
Autumn went to where he sat on the edge of the bed, lost in thought, and knelt before him. Nothing happened for the longest time, and then she felt his fingers in her hair.
“I don’t want you to leave this room.” He gripped the sides of her head and tilted her face to his. “I’ve never loved anybody before, not like this. I don’t want to put you in danger, Sugar. When I found you the other night, and you wouldn’t wake up—” He closed his eyes and pressed his forehead to hers. “I can’t go through that again.”
She slid her fingers along his smooth cheeks, a light reassurance. “I knew you would save me.”
He chuckled bitterly. “What if I had gone home instead? Or what if my flight had been delayed, and I got there too late?”
“But you didn’t.” She traced a finger along his bottom lip. “My faith in you has never been misplaced, even when I thought it was. Now I’m asking you to trust me the way I trust you. Sir, I can do this. This—way more than accounting—is my skill set. I’ve pulled off small jobs for the past three years because I didn’t want to chance getting caught, but don’t let that fool you into thinking I’m small time.”
Re/Leased (Doms of the FBI Book 5) Page 29