Total Surrender

by Velvet Vaughn

  One of Hunter’s brows raised. “Why Talia, are you flirting with me?”

  She almost giggled—giggled—for goodness sake. She was flirting with him. And she liked it.

  They’d just passed a beautiful shrine to the Virgin Mary when a voice called out, “Tina, Henry?” Joan stepped out of the grotto, a look of concern on her face. “Is everything okay?”

  Joan was addressing them informally without the stupid “brother” and “sister” titles, so Talia followed her lead. “Everything is fine, Joan,” she assured her.

  “I was worried when Elijah asked you to stay after service and when I mentioned that to my husband, he told me what happened.” She gripped Talia’s hand. “Tina, I’m so sorry. I had no idea Rob manhandled you. I read Clint the riot act for not doing something to stop him.” She glanced around to make sure no one would overhear, but the path was deserted. “Rob has always been a bully. Even his wife is afraid of him.”

  Talia’s ears perked up and an idea struck. Joan seemed to be close with Margaret. Maybe they could pump her for information. “I was going to put on a pot of tea. Would you like to join us?”

  Joan looked honored to be asked. “I would love that. Thank you.”

  Once they were inside the cabin, she filled a kettle with water and placed it on the stove to boil. After gathering two mugs, she inserted tea bags. Hunter bent down to kiss her cheek. “I’ll let you ladies chat. I’m going to shower.”

  She and Hunter were on the same wavelength. She thought Joan might be reserved with a man in the room, but would open up to another woman. He understood that. She also figured he’d want to contact Sawyer and Mason and give them an update. He’d stashed his phone in a secret compartment in his shaving kit. She watched him gather his clothes and with a quick smile, he disappeared in the bathroom.

  Joan had been watching him too and she sighed. “He is one fine-looking man.”

  “Yes, he is.”

  “You’re very lucky.”

  “I am.” She removed the boiling water from the stove and poured it into two mugs, handing one to the other woman. “Can I ask you something, Joan?”

  “Sure, hon. You can ask me anything.”

  She took a seat at the table and watched as she blew on the liquid to cool it. “Is something physically wrong with Margaret? I caught a glimpse of her at the service tonight and she did not look well.”

  Joan took a sip of tea. “She’s fine. She’s getting over a touch of the flu, but she should be recovered soon.”

  “I wanted to introduce myself to her. She is the only person I have not officially met.”

  “She is just as sweet as can be. You’ll love her. We were the first couples to join Elijah’s flock, so we became close.”

  “I am glad to hear she is not seriously ill. I was worried. She looked a bit frail.” She tasted the beverage, savoring the burn as it slid down her throat. “Has Rob hit her?”

  Joan’s eyes widened. “Oh, no, he’s not physically abusive. He’s more the verbal kind. A bully.” She wrinkled her nose. “Margaret used to be heavier. He kept after her until she lost weight.”

  “That is…”

  “Shallow?”

  “That is one word for it.” Callous, despicable and cruel were other descriptions that came to mind.

  Joan patted Talia’s hand. “Give her a few weeks. She’ll be back to normal. You’ll love her, I promise.”

  Weeks? They didn’t have weeks. She would not last having to sit through Elijah’s boring homilies and she didn’t know how much longer she could fake making love with Hunter when she wanted to do so for real more than she’d ever wanted anything in her life.

  She had to get these feelings under control. She needed to put distance between them. If she continued to be this close to him, she was likely to cave. No more kissing when they were alone. No more holding hands. They were partners. They needed to start acting like it.

  #

  Hunter fled to the bathroom while the women chatted over tea. He needed to check in with their teammates and give them an update. Sadly, there wasn’t much to relay, so the call was a short one. They were three days into this and they hadn’t made contact with the target once. He’d hoped to have the case wrapped up by now. Looked like it would take a few more days, at least.

  As he stripped off his clothes and started the shower, he thought about having to spend an extra three or four days inside the compound. There were two problems with that, the first being they would have to sit through Elijah’s prattling sermons. He didn’t know how many more of those he could take before he started breaking things. The second was being tortured with Talia’s beautiful body and not being able to sink deep inside her like he craved. If Joan hadn’t appeared, he would’ve stripped off Talia’s clothes and made love to her, voyeur be damned. They connected on a deeper level today. He felt like he knew her so much better, and what he knew, he lo…liked. A lot.

  He dropped to the closed toilet seat. He’d almost said love, even if it was only in his head. He could try to deny it, but there it was. He loved her. He loved Talia.

  What an idiot. They were coworkers. After this trip, he hoped he could call her a friend. Hell, they’d seen each other naked the other night and gotten each other off. Not quite lovers, but close.

  After showering, he lingered, giving the women time to talk. He shaved and brushed his teeth. It was about a hundred and eighty in the enclosed space, so he had to open the door or risk having to shower again from excessive sweat. Joan was exiting when he stepped out.

  “Goodnight, Henry,” she called.

  He waved as she disappeared through the door.

  Talia walked over to him and kept going until she was in his arms. His body, already primed just from being in the same room with her, responded eagerly.

  “Target is getting over the flu.” She whispered in his ear, her warm breath caressing his skin. “I’m going to shower.”

  And just like that, she was gone. He was in so much trouble here. Uncharted territory. He’d never been in love with his partner before. Granted, they’d been mostly male up until now. Still, he wasn’t sure how to handle his growing feelings.

  The light on the smoke alarm wasn’t on, so Elijah wasn’t watching. He might’ve checked in and saw Joan and decided tonight was a wash. Hunter had to arrange a pillow so that the tented sheet didn’t send Talia sprinting back to the bathroom.

  She took so long, he drifted off to sleep. He woke when the door opened. She slid into bed…and stayed on her side. What was that about?

  He reached for her, but she stopped him. “He is not watching, and I am very tired. I need to sleep.” She rolled to her side and presented him with her back.

  Hunter stared at her for a long time, replaying the day in his head. What happened between sharing their life stories and now had her treating him like he was a leper again? Then it hit him. It was them sharing their life stories. She had feelings for him and they were freaking her out. She was trying to put distance between them. At least, that’s what he hoped was happening.

  He settled deeper into the pillows. Fine. He’d give her tonight. But come morning, all bets were off.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Talia woke from a deep sleep to find herself plastered against Hunter like a second skin. It was becoming a ritual. She really wished she could blame him, but once again, she breached the divide and climbed him like a mountain. His arms locked her in place. She was usually a light sleeper but the last few nights with him, she’d slept like the dead.

  Apparently, her body craved his, needed to be close, even in slumber. They were like magnets, unable to deny the attraction forces that pulled them together. She felt safe with him, but she had to quit relying on him. It would be so easy to share problems and burdens. And she had to quit touching him.

  “Good morning.”

  Darn, he was awake. She disengaged from him and rolled out of bed. “Good morning.”

  She dressed quickly, sneaking a p
eek to see him tugging on a pair of jeans over his fine behind. She cleared her throat. “Our priority should be to contact Margaret today. We need to wrap this case up.” For her peace of mind.

  “I agree. The sooner the better.”

  Ouch. His words shouldn’t hurt so much, especially since she’d been the one to say them in the first place.

  “I don’t like the thought of her alone with Rob.”

  Her heart rejoiced. He was worried about Margaret, not itching to get away from her. “He is a loose cannon. Even though Joan said he did not physically abuse her, I do not trust him.”

  “Me, either. Also, if we don’t start showing results, Luke and Logan might yank us from the case.”

  “Do you think they would?”

  “Nah. I haven’t worked with them long, but I know they’re fair. Plus, we’re close. We got inside when no one else the Conrads hired managed to get this far.”

  They ate a light breakfast of fruit and toast. Before they could set out on their quest to talk to Margaret, Hunter needed to touch base with Elijah. After he left, she puttered about the cabin, bored to tears. She was a multi-tasker and having nothing at all to do was driving her batty. There wasn’t even a radio to play tunes. She’d kill for her iPod playlist. She curled up on the bed and woke instantly when the door opened.

  “Hey sleepyhead,” Hunter murmured.

  “I wasn’t sleeping,” she protested.

  “No?” There was a twinkle in his eye. “Then why do you have an adorable crease right here?” He ran his finger down her face.

  She batted it away. “Fine, maybe I did sleep for a few minutes.”

  “Babe, I’ve been gone for over four hours.”

  Her eyes goggled. “What?”

  “Much like his interminable sermons, I couldn’t get Elijah to shut the hell up. I’m going to start leaving my weapon at home because several times, I wanted to whip it out and shut him up, permanently.”

  When he smiled, Talia smiled with him. He just made it so easy. She wanted to keep her distance, but she was afraid it was a losing proposition.

  “Good news,” he said, jarring her from her thoughts. “Elijah, Rob and Clint are leaving on whatever mission they were headed to yesterday before the van broke down.”

  “That means we can talk to Margaret.”

  Talia ran to the bathroom to freshen up after her extended nap. Once the three men left the compound, they headed out. Despite her earlier attempts to keep Hunter at bay, when he reached for her hand, she let him. She had no willpower against his charms. They stopped by the cafeteria to pick up a plate of cookies. When they reached Margaret’s cabin, she rapped on the door. Her heart was pounding in excited anticipation. This was the reason they were here. To talk to Margaret, convince her to leave with them. The door was whipped open and her heart fell to her feet to see Joan standing on the other side. What was it with this woman? She was everywhere, messing up Talia’s plans. Sure, she’d saved her from retaliating on Rob and she’d given her some information on Margaret, but now she was just becoming a nuisance.

  “Tina, Henry, so good to see you. Can I help you with something?”

  “We have not had a chance to meet Sister Margaret yet and we wanted to say hello and bring these.” She held up the plate of cookies.

  “That’s so sweet of you. Come on in.” Joan held the door open and they stepped inside the cabin. Talia was dismayed to realize Margaret was wearing a ratty orange bathrobe, sitting at the table surrounded by Sue and Rhonda, two of the other women of the cult. And they were all knitting.

  “We’re making sweaters and things,” Rhonda said, holding up the item she was working on that appeared to be one long-ass scarf. Talia didn’t realize the Jolly Green Giant was in need of new neck wear.

  “Do you knit, Tina?” Sue asked as her needles clicked away at a rapid pace, never breaking stride.

  “I am afraid I do not.”

  “Well, we’d be happy to teach you.”

  This came from Joan. Margaret had yet to say a word, nor look up to greet her visitors. She was knitting away like a mad woman.

  “I might take you up on that.” She placed the plate on the counter. “Henry and I are still settling in, so we will be going.”

  “Thanks for the cookies,” Rhonda called out.

  Talia waved and stepped through the door Hunter held open.

  “Damn,” she muttered. It would’ve been the perfect time to talk to Margaret with Rob gone all afternoon.

  “Change of plans,” Hunter murmured.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Follow me.”

  The frightening thought flickered through her brain that she would follow him anywhere.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Hunter searched the area as they approached Elijah’s cabin. The way it was situated, the only other cabin that was visible was the one he shared with Talia. He’d already scanned the area and gone over security with Elijah, so he knew there weren’t any surveillance cameras of any kind. Apparently, the Lightkeeper thought the keyed lock pad was enough.

  “Where are we going,” Talia asked.

  “To do a little B and E of Elijah’s private lair.”

  “Oh, breaking and entering, good thinking.”

  The door was unlocked, as he knew it would be. He picked up a towel from the kitchenette and then keyed in the number on the pad. The door popped open, and he led Talia inside. He knew from his other meetings in the office, there were no recording devices in here, either. He thought about placing a few of the microscopic transmitters in his pocket in random places, but he couldn’t risk Elijah finding one and blowing their cover.

  While they searched the room, he kept an eye on the monitors to make sure the men didn’t return early. Talia found a safe, but it sported a biometric lock. Unless they could cut off one of Elijah’s fingers, they’d need some superior lock-picking skills.

  “I can crack this,” Talia said, breaking into his thoughts. “But it might take some time.”

  He wasn’t surprised. He was pretty sure there was nothing she couldn’t do.

  He rummaged through the shelves, not sure what he was looking for. The last case he’d worked on with Talia, a bookcase with a hidden door had played a major part in the plot. What if he gave a little shove…to his utter shock, the bookcase moved, sliding aside to reveal an elevator.

  “I’ll be damned.”

  “What is it?” Talia asked, not looking up from her task.

  “Come take a look at this.”

  She stood and hurried over. “What is…no way! Another hidden passageway?”

  “Looks like it.”

  Talia moved past him to enter the elevator. She eyed him expectantly. “What are you waiting for? Let’s check it out.”

  #

  Hunter followed Talia inside the elevator and removed the Sig Sauer from his ankle holster. He didn’t want to be caught unaware by whatever they were about to face when the lift stopped. He kept the weapon trained as they descended into the unknown abyss…which turned out to be a luxurious space filled with expensive furniture, a gigantic television and one entire wall of monitors. The room was massive, with a king-size bed covered in mauve silk taking up one wall.

  “This is where he watches the people having sex,” Hunter guessed, looking over the monitor set-up.

  “He has everything down here. Television, internet.” She picked up a disk and wrinkled her nose. “Porn.”

  “Look at this. A fully stocked bar, and this ain’t the cheap stuff.” Hunter picked up an expensive bottle of brandy. “He’s not who he wants people to think he is…some pious, saintly demagogue.”

  “No, he is just a low-life scum who watches dirty movies while throwing back hundred-dollars-a-bottle scotch.” Talia’s eyes narrowed, and she pointed to the floor. “What is that?”

  Hunter followed her gaze. He hiked up the edge of the silk comforter and bent down to pick up the object before his hand froze in place. Years of training ha
d him looking for a tissue. He found a box beside the bed, decided he didn’t want to know why they were there, and lifted one out. He picked up the object and held it aloft.

  Talia gasped and rushed to him. “It is Nadine’s earring. The one ripped from her ear.”

  “It’s covered in dried blood,” Hunter told her.

  “You know what that means.”

  “Nadine was here.”

  “And Elijah is the killer.”

  #

  Hands on hips, Talia scanned the room filled with luxuries and indulgences fit for a king. Was that how Elijah saw himself? King of his domain? Something on the table beneath the monitors caught her eye and she gasped. The label read “Tina and Henry.” She rushed forward and grabbed the disk, jamming it into the player in front of her. Using the remote, she hit play. “Oh my God.”

  “What?”

  “It is a tape of us having sex.”

  “What the hell?” He moved beside her and the heat from his body encircled her. She wanted to look away, but her gaze was drawn to his powerful body. He was magnificent. Tall, strong, muscular. A woman’s dream. Her dream.

  She held her breath as he removed his boxer briefs in the video.

  “Gah!” Hunter exclaimed, ripping the remote from her hand and stabbing the stop button. “I don’t need to see my pasty white ass in high def.”

  Talia wanted to chuckle with him, but her tongue was stuck to the roof of her mouth. To say he was mouth-watering was a colossal understatement. He put the tape back where she found it. “What are you doing?”

  “We can’t take it. He’ll know someone was in here.”

  Damn, he was right. Still, the thought of him getting off on their sexcapades was nauseating. She picked up the tape and slid it back inside the player.

  “Talia,” he warned.

  “Relax.” She rewound the disk and hit record so that a blank screen was recorded over their bed games.

  Hunter nodded his head and smiled. “Nice.”

  When the recording stopped, she popped it out and put it back where she found it. Hunter moved to check out the door on the far wall. Her gaze passed over a picture frame before snapping back. She jerked it into her hands with a gasp.