A Little Harmless Submission 6

by Melissa Schroeder

  Once they were in there, Dupree studied the room.

  “No recorders or cameras?”

  Rome shook his head.

  “Maria told me what’s going on. The whole plan.”

  Shit.

  “Don’t worry. I won’t blow your cover. Hell, I hope you catch the bastard, so she can get people off her back.”

  “People off her back?”

  “Yeah, you know being Big John Callahan’s daughter has some good things and some bad things attached to it. One of the bad things being that she has to deal with people thinking she got there because of him.”

  “I can understand that.”

  “I figured that’s why you lit out of Seattle. Hard to come from a family of cops and be a cop in the same city. I see it with guys who follow fathers into the military. Not always that easy to live up to. But, I digress. I said I was here to talk about Maria.”

  Rome crossed his arms over his chest. He didn’t like the proprietary tone Dupree used when he said Maria’s name. “Go on.”

  “I just want you to know that she might seem like she’s alone in the world, but she’s not.”

  Rome said nothing, and he could tell that irritated the Seal. More than irritated him.

  “You might think you’re just having a good time, but Maria is a good girl. She doesn’t need some jackass messing with her head.”

  Aggravation marched down his spine as he tried to hold onto his temper. “Is that what you think I’m doing? That people who live the life like me are just messing with each other’s head.”

  “No. But she doesn’t need another one like you.”

  That gave Rome pause. “Another jackass? I thought she’d never submitted before.” He was sure of it. Besides the fact that she told him, her reactions had been too raw, too real for them to have been staged. He was sure he had been her first Dom.

  And her last.

  Rome pushed that thought aside. “Explain yourself.”

  “She’ll kick my ass, but she was involved with a few guys at the bureau. All of them thought she could help their careers. As soon as they figured out she couldn’t, she was dumped.”

  “I have nothing to gain from this.”

  Dupree snorted. “Other than making yourself a big name by catching a serial killer. Putting her out there to be bait.”

  “Hey, that was her crazy idea. And basically she told me if I didn’t help, she would do it anyway without me. She didn’t need my help, or so she said.”

  “That’s what she said.”

  “Then why are you yelling at me?”

  “I thought maybe it had been your idea to begin with.”

  Rome shook his head. “No. All hers. Sits there as pretty as she can be and tells me she’s going to be bait for a serial killer who likes to kill women who look like her.”

  Mal sighed, a resigned look flashing in his face. “Damn, always fighting that old man. I thought after he died, she’d let it go.”

  “Oh, yeah, and I have to deal with her acting like I’m being a macho asshole because I want her to be protected as she dangles herself in front of the killer like some big, juicy piece of steak. It’s enough to drive a saint to sin.”

  “You don’t say,” Mal said, rocking back on his heels.

  “And she really drives me insane. She’s so damned smart that she thinks she can’t mess anything up, but in this game, one little slip up and she could be dead. I couldn’t deal with that.”

  Mal said nothing for a moment then he grinned. “Shit, you’re in love with her.”

  “What?”

  “You are knee deep and drunk in love with the woman.”

  “No.” He couldn’t be. He was infatuated, like Amy said, that was all. She was so different than any of the other women he’d dated, and he really had never initiated a sub before her. It was that connection. That was all.

  “Damn, this is good. You can take care of her, get her away from DC.”

  He was still trying to figure out if Mal was right about his feelings when what he said penetrated his brain. “Get her away from DC? What the hell are you talking about?”

  “I guess you haven’t had much time to chat, with chasing the serial killer, huh?”

  Rome shook his head.

  “She’s not built for the FBI.”

  Anger had him striding toward the Seal, ignoring the fact that there was a good chance Dupree would knock him senseless with little effort. “What the hell do you mean? She’s an excellent agent. Her mind is amazing.”

  “Yes, but that’s part of her personality. She is good at being things. Her father taught her that, may he rot in hell.”

  Some of his anger subsided. “I take it you didn’t like him.”

  “I never met him, but there is something wrong with a man who teaches his fourteen-year-old daughter to shoot because there is a good chance someone will kill her.”

  “He told her that?”

  Mal nodded. “That’s just the surface. How can any teenager have a normal life going to crime scenes? Her best friends were the other agents. She became an agent because she couldn’t see being anything else.”

  “She’s damned good, probably will move up the ladder.”

  “And die an early death of stress. She’s good at it, but she’s much better at other things. Have you looked at her laptop yet?”

  “Looked at it?”

  Dupree smiled. “Take a minute or two, get a peek. I think you might be surprised by what you find.”

  “I know about the writing.”

  “Really? Be sure to read some of it. She’s really good.”

  Dupree turned to leave, and Rome stopped him.

  “That’s it?”

  “I had to make sure you weren’t going to use her. I’m not going to be around for a good long while.”

  “Mission?”

  “Just a feeling I have. Make sure you take care of her, or I will come back here and kick your ass.”

  With that, he slipped out of the conference room and left Rome alone. Damn, he didn’t really want to like the man, but he did. And he had to respect him. Rome knew what BUDS training was, knew what a hardass you had to be to make it through. But it still didn’t mean he could take the fact that one of her ex-lovers just seemed to pop up on the island. He would definitely check out just where and when Dupree had been deployed in the last year.

  That would give him something to do other than dealing with his feelings for a woman who turned out to be more complex than the serial killer they were chasing.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Sitting on Rome’s back lanai, Maria rubbed her temples and tried to concentrate. She couldn’t seem to keep anything straight. Between the lack of sleep, her involvement with Rome, and now Mal showing up, she was having a hard time doing anything but freaking out.

  An agent runs a good, tight ship. Life doesn’t get in the way.

  Oh, put a sock in it, she thought, then instantly felt guilty. Her father had been a bad parent, especially after her mother had been killed. But in his own way, he’d been trying to teach her what he knew. The fear that some other killer would come out of the woodwork and kill her bothered him until the day he died. It had been one of the last things they had talked about. No long discussions of their lives together. No, her father had been worried that someone would kill her.

  She pushed that aside and tried to work on the scene she had thought would be easy. But nothing came. With a sigh, she looked over Rome’s backyard and contemplated the man himself. He’d been amazing the night before. Hell, what night wasn’t he wonderful? The man knew her every emotion, everything she needed. Unfortunately, she knew nothing he needed. She wasn’t even sure he needed her or if she was just a fill-in for the moment.

  Dammit. She couldn’t think about that. She only had a brief amount of time to catch this bastard and then go back to DC and prove everyone wrong. She was ready to do it, ready to take that next step. But the moment she thought it, the sense of accomplishment she
once felt didn’t seem as strong. Maybe it was going back to DC that was bothering her. Who could blame her. It was February. The coldest month of the year there, usually, with its slush and snow and cold, blow-right-through-you winds. She liked the snow, but when you had to trudge out into it for work, it wasn’t any fun. But here she sat outside, shorts on, enjoying the cool trades as they shifted through her hair and over her skin. It was a little hot for her today, but every now and then a breeze would filter across the lanai, and she was content.

  Her phone rang, and she frowned at the number. It was a Hawaii area code, but not a number she knew.

  “Hello?”

  “Hello, pretty lady.”

  She recognized the accent immediately. Elias St John.

  “How did you get my number, Mr. St John?”

  “I have a way with people.”

  She said nothing. This wasn’t good. The man found her cell number, and it wasn’t easy to do. She never gave it out except for work. He must have connections, and she was pretty sure they weren’t the good kind.

  “So you won’t tell me the source?”

  “Nope, sworn to secrecy.”

  She sighed, knowing there was no way she would find anything out from him like this. “What did you want?”

  “I saw you leave with another man last night.”

  “And?”

  “I was wondering if you were a free agent yet.”

  “Yet? As in, there is a good chance Rome Carino will dump me soon, so why not move on?”

  He chuckled. “No. What I mean is that I thought you would come to your senses. You’re probably one of the most spirited subs I’ve met in a good, long while.”

  She said nothing again.

  “Oh, you are very good. Well, if you aren’t a free agent, then I figure I will go on the hunt again. Have a good day. Remember, you have my number now if you change your mind.”

  She shivered as the phone clicked off.

  She realized now that she needed to definitely get someone really digging things up on St John, and fast. His interest in her wasn’t normal. She already had Masters running info on Ashton, although he came up clean at every turn. He was a slime, but he didn’t seem to have anything in his background tying him to the killings in other cities.

  · · · · ·

  Rome felt the weight of everything on his shoulders. This was getting too old, too fast. They couldn’t figure the killer out, and now this. He could still smell the blood of the five-year-old they found today, and that of his mother who had lain dead beside him. They had been butchered by someone who was supposed to love them.

  He had always felt there was good in the world, but today was one of those days that he found it hard to keep it straight. To remember that while there was evil, there was also good.

  He unfolded himself from the car and shut the door. He knew Maria was there, that they would have to discuss the case, but he wasn’t in the mood. He just wanted to take a shower, drink a beer, and then pass out. He trudged up the steps, his weariness increasing.

  He opened the door and smelled food cooking.

  “Hey, Rome. I hope you don’t mind, but I thawed some chicken. I thought we could grill them.”

  He said nothing as he walked to the fridge to grab a beer.

  “Hey, I’m checking out Elias St John. Do you know him?”

  He made a noise that even to him sounded like a grunt. It was rude. He knew that. But he didn’t have the energy to do any more than that.

  “He called me. I’m having Masters look him up.”

  “What?”

  “Elias St John.”

  “What about him?”

  She frowned at him. “I talked to him last night.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Haven’t you been listening?”

  He knew there was a fight brewing, and he knew he couldn’t control himself.

  “Sorry, bad day. I’m going to take a shower.”

  He wandered off to the bathroom and knew again that he was being rude, but he couldn’t seem to force himself to do anything but walk away. After setting his beer on the counter, he stripped down, dropping his clothes on the floor. He turned on the water as he took another long swig of beer. When he saw the steam gathering, he stepped into the shower, shutting the door behind him. A long soak would have been good, but he needed something pounding on his back.

  The water was almost too hot, but Rome didn’t care. He just let it slide over his skin as he took another long swig of beer. The shower door opened.

  “I’m not good to be around right now.”

  She stepped in behind him and slipped her arms around his waist. She was completely naked, of course.

  “I’m serious, Maria, don’t mess with me now.”

  She rested her cheek against his back. “You can tell me about it or you don’t have to. But don’t shut me out.”

  He set his beer on the ledge and turned around to face her. Her hair was starting to curl as it did when it was really humid.

  “I don’t think it’s a good idea to mess with me tonight.”

  She smiled and pressed against him. “I think your body disagrees.”

  “Maria,” he started, but he didn’t finish. It was entirely her fault. She dropped to her knees in front of him. Without saying anything, she wrapped her hand around his cock and pumped him twice before taking him into her mouth. He knew he should stop her, but he didn’t seem to have the ability. She continued to pump him with her hand as she worked him in and out of her mouth.

  Soon, he couldn’t seem to hold himself back. She stroked him with her tongue, taking him deeper into her wet, hot mouth. He felt himself grow harder and with each thrust into her mouth, he grew closer to his orgasm. Then she took him so deep, he bumped the back of her throat.

  He lost himself and came, thrusting deep into her mouth. He reached down to help her up and noticed that his hands were shaking. He pulled her into his arms and leaned his forehead against hers as he tried to catch his breath.

  “You didn’t have to do that. Shouldn’t have without permission.”

  She gave him a cocky smile. “I’m sure you can figure out some punishment for me.”

  He laughed, feeling lighter and definitely in a better mood. “After dinner.”

  · · · · ·

  Maria’s phone woke her up. She opened her eyes and saw that it was only four a.m.

  “Yours?” Rome asked.

  “Yeah.” She noticed it was Masters’ number. “Please tell me this is important.”

  “Oh, sorry. I forgot the time difference.” But he didn’t sound very sorry. “I found something on St John.”

  She pulled herself up to a sitting position.

  “What did you find?”

  “Not much. He did some time as a jackaroo.”

  “A what?”

  “The Aussies call their cowboys jackaroos. He worked several ranches there and then he dropped off the map for several years.”

  “Dropped off the map? You mean he disappeared? No one can disappear.”

  “He did, but I made a few calls. He was working for the Tactical Assault Group for the Aussie military.”

  “But there should be some kind of record, something.”

  “Yeah. That’s what I’m trying to find out. But he has pretty much been on the Big Island for all the other assaults, so he isn’t your guy.”

  She sighed as she massaged her temple. She could feel the telltale tension that heralded one of her bad headaches. In all the time she’d been in Hawaii, she hadn’t had the familiar pain. Now it seemed to be back.

  “Thanks for tracking that down. I appreciate it. He probably used his connections to get my number.”

  “What do you mean?” Rome asked, now completely awake.

  “Who’s that?” Masters asked, amusement threading his voice. Maria was pretty sure he knew who was in bed with her.

  “Don’t worry. I’ll let you know if we have any more suspects. Are you a daddy
, yet?”

  “No. They plan to induce tomorrow if she doesn’t go into labor by then.”

  “Text me and let me know how it goes.”

  “Will do. Behave yourself, Maria.”

  “I always do.”

  She hung up, and before she could put her phone down, she found herself on her back, Rome looming over her. She should be pissed, but of course, it aroused her. It was hard not to be turned on by Rome when he went into predatory male mode.

  “Who had your number? Who called you?”

  “I told you when you came home. Elias St John.”

  “Eli St John, that bastard. When did you meet him?”

  “The night you got called away from Rough ‘n Ready. He approached me after you left, but he isn’t a suspect.”

  “Why not?”

  He sounded pissed that he couldn’t take St John in for questioning. If Rome wasn’t a by-the-book kind of cop, he might just have done it.

  “Because he was on the Big Island for all the attacks.”

  He growled, literally growled, as he pulled the rest of his body over hers. “So what was St John trying to do with you?”

  Maria normally didn’t like when men tried to exert their dominance over her. In the bedroom, while making love, that didn’t bother her. But she didn’t like being questioned like a suspect. But again, Rome in any kind of mood seemed to turn her on.

  “Nothing much, he wanted to see if we were exclusive.”

  His expression darkened. “I’ll kill him. Do you know where he’s staying?”

  He slid off the bed as he was talking and grabbed a pair of jeans. She watched with a strange mixture of frustration and amusement. It was definitely a novel experience to have a man want to do battle over her.

  “No. I have no idea where he’s at right now. Did you hear me say that he’s not on the list of suspects?”

  He gave her a dark look as he stood there. He looked so, well, lost. Maria was pretty sure he didn’t realize how adorable he appeared. The idea that she could cause this was insane, but apparently she had. She rolled over to his side of the bed and rose to her knees in front of him.

  “He just wanted to make sure that we were exclusive.”

  He grumbled.