Rachel nodded. Just nodded. It seemed the best response while she kept hold of the emotions that threatened to break free.
"What the hell did he want?" Jared demanded.
"The impossible." Rachel closed her eyes for a second and fought to hold herself steady. "Now, let's get out of here and find our son."
Chapter Sixteen
Rachel paced across the hotel room while Jared finished his conversation with Tanner. A conversation that had been going on since their return from Sheridan's office.
From Jared's reaction, it seemed things weren't going as well as they'd hoped. Apparently, Tanner's people were having trouble coming up with an address for Agnes McCullough. Not that Rachel had expected it to be easy. If Agnes did indeed have the child with her, Esterman had no doubt made certain that she was hidden away.
So Rachel kept on pacing. It didn't help. There was so much explosive energy inside her that she was about to scream. No amount of pacing—or organizing—would help that. She'd already organized any and everything in the tiny hotel room.
With both the doctor and Aaron Merkens dead, Esterman seemed to be a little farther out of her reach. And yet in some ways, that mattered less than it probably should have. All Rachel could think about was finding Agnes and the baby. Only then would she be able to concentrate on Esterman getting what he deserved.
"They're still looking," Jared informed her when he got off the phone. "So is the patrol unit that Captain Thornton sent to the doctor's office. We have to lie low until Tanner can arrange for us to see Agnes McCullough."
"Yes. Lie low. Wait." She drummed her fingers against her crossed arms. "Since you didn't mention screaming, I guess that's out?"
He smiled, but the smile quickly faded. "Unless you can manage to scream without attracting attention. We already have enough attention as it is." He propped his hands on his hips. "But you could use this time to explain why you called Captain Thornton and lied about kidnapping me."
Rachel rolled her eyes. "Sheesh. Of all the subjects we could disagree about, you would pick that one? There are bigger and meaner fish to fry, Jared."
But that wasn't entirely true. Just lately, she and Jared hadn't disagreed about much. In fact, that particular phone call to the captain and his me-Tarzan approach to her safety were the only subjects that had put them at odds.
Interesting.
In the past day and a half, they'd gone through hell together and had somehow mended a few rifts along the way. Here, they'd been separated for over a year, and she'd miraculously found the secret to putting her marriage back together. Too bad it'd taken a crisis of huge proportions to do it. And too bad it might be too late for anything, short of a miracle.
Since Jared still seemed to be waiting for an answer about Captain Thornton, Rachel stopped pacing and faced him. "All right. Here goes. I lied when I said that I called her only to save your badge. That was part of it, but it was just the tip of the iceberg. I did it because I still care about you, and I didn't want you hurt. Especially since you were doing the right thing when you got me out of that safe house."
He paused a moment. "That's admirable, but you risked getting yourself hurt. Kidnapping is a felony, Rachel. Add to that, I'm a cop—it's a wonder that Thornton didn't call in the FBI to come after you."
She shrugged. When she'd started all of this, she hadn't expected to pour out her heart to him. Still, it didn't make sense to hold back now. Somehow, they'd manage to sift through everything and had reached ground zero. "Well, that just goes to show you the depths of my feelings, huh?"
He just stood there and stared at her. Rachel did the same thing. Not necessarily a good idea. With him that close, she had no problem seeing every emotion on his troubled face.
His ruggedly handsome face.
Which reminded her of lots of other things.
Even with that reminder, she didn't move. She didn't back away. The idea that drifted through her mind took hold, and suddenly it was the only thing that made sense.
"I could probably talk myself out of doing this," she warned. "But I figure I'll explode. You'll make a good substitute for a scream."
It was more than that, of course. Much more. Part of her wanted to say that to him, to bare her soul even more than she already had. Best not to complicate things, though. This might be a hard sell to Jared as it was. After all, he was trying to keep some distance between them.
Rachel latched onto the front of his shirt, pulled him to her and kissed him. She kept it short and sweet, but it sure as heck wasn't some lustless peck. And then she let go of him. Satisfied that she'd convinced him she didn't want to argue, or scream, or even bare her soul, she backed up so he could have a chance to escape.
She made it a step.
Just one.
Before he grabbed her wrist and stopped her.
Rachel turned toward him, her shoulder brushing his. He looked into her eyes. She didn't need to ask his intentions. She could see it. And feel it. She might have been the one to start this, but Jared was more than willing to finish it.
"I don't want to be a substitute for anything," he said.
Rachel nodded. "Believe me, you're not."
That was it—all it took to complete the mutual invitation. He nodded in return and dragged her closer, pulling her into a searing kiss.
His mouth pleasured and coaxed. Teased. Ignited the spark into a full flame. Rachel felt her heartbeat race. Her body grew warm and golden, and she found herself wrapping her arms around him so she could have more.
"Yes," she whispered against his mouth. "Now, this is what I need."
Jared moved her hair out of the way so he could go after her neck. He took that clever mouth to the sensitive little spot just below her ear. "It's the adrenaline that's got you so wired."
"You think so?" She touched her mouth to his jaw and had the pleasure of feeling a muscle jump there. "If you use that line on every woman you kiss, I'll bet it puts a real damper on foreplay."
He didn't stop the assault on her neck. Or her ear. But he made himself crystal clear. "I wouldn't know. You're the only woman I've been foreplaying with for years."
She pulled back and looked at him. "Is that true?" But Rachel immediately shook her head. "Never mind. I don't want to hear the answer to that."
"Sure you do." He met her gaze head-on. "Go for it, Rachel. Ask. You might be surprised at what I have in my version of Pandora's box."
Maybe. But she didn't want to risk it. There were a lot of things she could handle, but hearing about Jared's sexual escapades wasn't one of them. Rachel went after his zipper, instead.
"Boxes aside," she insisted. Now, it was her turn to kiss his neck. "I think I'd rather just pleasure you. You know, the way you did me."
Jared pressed his hand over hers to stop her. "As wonderful as that sounds—and, believe me, it does—what I have in mind is good old-fashioned sex. Something mindless and mutually satisfying. We'll see how far we get before Tanner calls. But first, I want you to ask the question that's obviously been on your mind."
She studied his eyes, and his expression. Nope, he wasn't about to back down on this, either. If she wanted things to progress beyond the zipper-lowering stage, she had to ask what she really didn't want to know.
"All right. Have you been with anyone else?"
"No."
No hesitation. No doubt. That was it. Just that one firmly spoken denial.
It was, well, touching. And a little confusing. Fourteen months was a long time, especially for a man who hadn't been able to keep his hands off her when they were married.
His answer might have soothed her ego if Jared had given it a chance.
He didn't.
What he did was take the first step to fulfilling his promise of something mindless and mutually satisfying. Just as on that night outside her college dorm, she reached for him. Jared was faster. He hauled her against him and kissed her.
* * *
THIS WOULD NOT BE A LONG leisurely afternoo
n of lovemaking, but Jared was sure neither of them cared about that.
Those were about the only totally coherent thoughts that made it into Jared's head. This wasn't the time for coherency, anyway. This was about Rachel, and him, and about how much they needed each other.
She fought with his shirt and won. Rachel managed to get it over his head and send it sailing across the room.
"Take me now," she insisted.
To prove she was serious, Rachel went after his zipper again. She wasn't careful about what she touched along the way. She slid her hand down the length of him.
And repeated the move.
Several agonizing times.
Her nimble fingers took him from the primed stage to being fully aroused. Not that he'd needed much for that to happen. That take me now comment was like water to a man dying of thirst. Jared very much wanted to oblige her.
He managed to peel off her shoes and jeans. Not easy. Not with her working at the same time to free him from his boxers. They both succeeded, somehow, and he backed her against the wall.
He took her mouth again while she wrapped her legs around his waist. Her mouth was as hot and wet as the rest of her. He touched her, because it was what they both needed, and he saw exactly what his touch did to her.
"This won't be safe sex." Jared positioned her, and she wrapped her legs around his waist.
Rachel hissed out a breath when they made intimate contact. "I don't remember asking for safe."
If she hadn't kissed him and thrust the midsection of her body against his erection, he might have considered the double meaning of that remark. But that brief contact made him remember his priorities.
Jared held her in place with his body. Her naked body against his. Her bare breasts against his chest. And he watched her eyes as he took her. Jared slid into that hot, slick heat and gave them both exactly what they needed.
He stilled just a moment. To savor. But the savoring and stilling came to a halt when Rachel started to move against him, and with him.
It didn't take much. The intensity between them didn't allow more, even though Jared wished that it could last a lifetime.
"Fly for me, Rachel."
She did. At the sound of his words, he felt her body close around him. Felt her soar until she reached a shattering climax. Jared was right there to catch her.
Rachel returned the favor.
With the hot primal need driving him, she took and gave her all in that same moment that he surrendered. He saw her face. Just her.
And that was all Jared needed.
* * *
BECAUSE HE HAD NO CHOICE in the matter, Jared slid to the floor, taking Rachel right along with him. They were both damp with sweat, and little wisps of her hair were clinging to her neck and forehead. She looked amazing in the afterglow of good, non-safe sex.
"Don't you dare say that you'll regret this," Rachel mumbled.
"I'm feeling a lot of things, but regret's damn sure not one of them."
And to prove it, Jared gave her a kiss that neither of them would forget. He left them both breathless and wanting more.
There was no turning back now. What had happened couldn't ever be dismissed as just plain sex, even if it had occurred in a heated rush against the wall. He and Rachel had made love. And that left him with one troubling question.
What now?
Now that his head was starting to clear, Jared knew this was just the beginning. They had so many issues.
"You've got that look of obsessing on your face. What are you thinking?" she asked.
Jared didn't want to dive right back into what could easily be a depressing conversation. So he went in another direction. "I'm thinking you didn't scream. I'm thinking with just a little encouragement, I might be able to make that happen."
She smiled. Nothing sarcastic. Nothing meant to minimize the moment. It was real. Just like Rachel. Just like what they felt for each other.
"You're bragging," she whispered. She began to nibble on his mouth.
"Am I, now?"
He was fully prepared to back up that claim, but the ringing phone put a stop to it. Without releasing his grip on Rachel, Jared reached up and grabbed his cell phone from the desk. He cleared his throat in case it was Esterman. But it wasn't. It was Tanner.
"We found Agnes," Tanner informed him.
"She's alive?" And Jared held his breath waiting for the answer.
"She was as of this morning. We found her through a credit card purchase, but she's not in San Antonio. She's got a rental house out on an island near Corpus Christi. It'll be about a two-hour drive for you to get there."
Jared was already reaching for his shirt. "We'll leave in a couple of minutes."
"Here's a warning, though—you might have a few problems with accessibility," Tanner continued. "There's a private road and bridge that leads out to the place, but the initial reports are that it's guarded. Heavily guarded. So your best bet is to go via boat. I'll arrange for one."
"Good. Any indication that Agnes has the baby with her?"
"Yeah. I'm working on getting us an infrared, but how's this for an indication—one of my people just got off the phone with the clerk at the general store on the mainland near Agnes's house. They delivered some disposable diapers and some formula there just this morning. Oh, and those diapers apparently come in all kinds of sizes, but the ones that Agnes requested were for a newborn."
"Let's go," Jared told Rachel. He jotted down directions while she dressed.
Two hours. That was it. Such a short amount of time considering all they'd been through already. Still, they couldn't just go barging into the place. It wouldn't be safe for Rachel, or the baby.
"You'll check out the place before we get there?" Jared asked Tanner.
"I'll do my best, but I can't guarantee security on this one. Hard to guard the Gulf of Mexico. Esterman might have patrols out on that water."
True. But that wouldn't stop him. Nothing would. "We'll deal with that when we come to it. See you in two hours."
Chapter Seventeen
Rachel studied the place through the binoculars, while Jared spoke on the phone with someone from a security company. A light went on in the west side of the house, but there was no sign of anyone.
No guards, no Agnes McCullough.
And definitely no sign of the baby.
The house was two-story, white, with massive marble columns fronting a wraparound porch. It was perched in the center of a lush, finger-shaped island. Pretty upmarket for the residence of a parolee with no recent record of employment. Agnes had done well for herself.
It had taken Rachel much of the two-hour drive to verify it, but she now knew that the same corporation that owned Sasha Young's rental house owned this property, as well. In other words, it was connected to Lyle Brewer, who in turn was connected to Clarence Esterman.
They were no longer at the starting point. This house, Rachel knew, was the finish line.
Luck was with them as far as the weather was concerned. There were only a few milky clouds scattered in the sky. The breeze was mild. The waves moved in a gentle slosh around her feet.
The conditions were ideal.
Still, every muscle and every nerve in her body was on full alert. Even ideal wasn't much of a guarantee with her child's life at stake.
Once the sun had set—which was only a few minutes away—they'd be able to approach the house via boat under cover of darkness. It was their best bet, Jared had said.
After that, however, all bets were off.
Once they reached the grounds, they would be too far away for Tanner to help them, and well out of reach of any local law enforcement. Which might be a good thing. If Esterman had managed to buy off a cop in the SAPD, perhaps he owned the locals, too.
"It's not too late to change your mind about this," she heard Jared say. He walked up behind her and brushed his fingers over her arm. "You can always stay here with Tanner to make sure no one follows me out to the island."
"I'm going with you," she insisted, still looking for any sign of movement in the house.
Jared didn't argue, maybe because he knew it was an argument he stood no chance of winning. Her child was in that house, and she was going in after him.
Tanner's phone rang, and he stepped away from the boat to take the call.
"Did you learn anything from the security specialist?" she asked Jared.
"Some. He tracked down the person who did the original system for the house nearly ten years ago. It's pretty basic. Not too many bells or whistles. I should be able to get through it without too much of a problem."
Rachel didn't miss the key bit of information that he left out of his explanation. "Ten years is a long time. What if someone made modifications to the system after it was installed?"
"Then, I'll figure out a way to get through them, as well." Jared took in a long breath. "By the way, if something goes wrong—"
Rachel quickly pressed her fingers against his mouth so that he couldn't finish. "We both know what we have to do. Let's not spell it out."
Jared kissed her fingertips and gently moved them aside. "No doom and gloom predictions. I just don't want you to take any unnecessary chances."
She nodded. "The same goes for you."
Tossing her a you're-stubborn half snarl, Jared took the binoculars from her and had a look at the house. "I think our best bet will be to hide the boat when we reach the island and try to go in through the back. Hopefully, it won't be as well lit as the front."
"What about the infrared read that Tanner's been trying to get?" she asked.
He paused.
"There appear to be four adults," he finally answered. "And either a baby or maybe a small pet. The infrared wasn't conclusive."
She made a sound of acceptance and stared at the house. It was no pet. Rachel knew that with every fiber of her being. It was her son.
"Anyway, we'll go in through the back," Jared continued a moment later. "And we'll try to avoid the guards or whoever else is in there. If the baby's in the house, he's on the second floor. Or, at least, that's what the infrared indicated when it was taken an hour ago."
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