Scars: A Killers Novel, Book 5

by Brynne Asher

  My body slumps into the wall and I have to fight for balance. “If this is your idea of payback, then I’ll take it.”

  I don’t see it since my eyes have rolled to the back of my head, but I feel it—his smile as he adds a second finger. Then, he gets down to business and sucks.

  “I might collapse.”

  His free arm rounds me to support my weight and it happens—the tunnel only he can shove me down. I start to tumble, my hearing and vision and every other sense begins to fade, I only feel our connection. When it starts to swallow me up, he hooks a finger inside and draws my clit between his teeth. And I thank the stars the unit next door is empty.

  Because this is different than it was in the coat room. As good as that was—and with Cole, it’s always good—we both had to maintain some type of control. We weren’t alone.

  Now, there’s no control.

  Cole is hungry.

  I’m desperate.

  I fall apart under his touch, his lips, and the overwhelming power he’s always had over me. And that power hasn’t faded. If anything, it’s intensified—exploding into a sea of color, bright behind my eyelids, artistically created for only me by Cole Carson.

  Fighting for my breath, he milks my orgasm for all it’s worth, draining me until I lose his touch as his hands grip my hamstrings. “Hold on.”

  I do, wrapping my limp arms around his neck and my legs that barely hang on to his narrow hips. With my face buried in his thick, dark hair, I realize I’m moving.

  My back hits linen bed covers the color of the sand when it disappears into the sea. I lose his touch and I draw my feet up, folding into myself, and pry my eyes open. He’s digging around in his overnight kit that has exploded on the nightstand.

  The lamp pops on, its low glow like a warm hug, reaching only us. Cole rips at the button on his pants with one hand and lifts a condom to his teeth with the other to rip it open. “Annoyed after all these years you’re still not on birth control.”

  The fact he’s annoyed with me about anything right now makes me smile. “I suppose you’re always annoyed with me about something or other.”

  “Yes. Only I would fall for the most infuriating woman on the planet. Hell, I had to travel around the world to find you.”

  “You love my annoyances.” I bite my lip as my eyes drop to his hand that’s now wrapped around his cock. Swollen, hard, and all bloody mine.

  What few female friends I had growing up complained about American men and their circumcised heads but I’ve never known anything other than the beautiful one standing erect and greedy in front of me. I wouldn’t want him any other way. Cole fists himself, pumping once as he grips my knee. I give him what he wants and my legs splay. His eyes are as greedy as his cock leering over me, trying to decide what he wants first.

  Dragging a finger down the inside of my thigh, he hits my very wet sex and starts to play with me again. “This is it, Bella.” His eyes shift to mine and I’m not sure I’ve ever seen him so serious. “We’ll figure out your work and my family, but you’re mine. I’m not fucking around anymore. When I sink into you tonight, there’s no going back.”

  My insides flip and scrunch and tense.

  “Love you, baby,” he adds, his tone low and solemn. “Not interested in living life without you any longer.”

  My skin prickles with nerves as his words wash over me. I force myself to punch away every wall I’ve built around my heart while I’ve had to live without him.

  “Bella.” My name falls sharp and demanding from his lips.

  “Yes.” My throat tries to strangle me but I push past it for him. I reach for his hand and pull it up to my chest, pressing it flat to my heart. “I’m frightened, Cole. So scared about what’s to come. But, yes. I promise … no going back. Unless I get thrown into prison or burned at the stake.”

  He lets go of his cock and bends at the waist. His forearm hits the bed beside me first and then his mouth takes mine—rough and possessive and, yes, even victoriously arrogant.

  My breath catches as his cocks slides easily inside me because, for the first time, we’re connected, skin to skin, nothing between us. I moan into his mouth and my fingers dig into his shoulders. He’s never taken me bare. Ever. I know he loves Abbott with all his heart but he’s made it clear he won’t ever take a chance again. Cole Carson does not like surprises in any area of his life.

  “Just for a second. Fuck, baby.” His words are jagged, and if I didn’t know better, I’d think he might be in pain. “Feels like I’m taking you for the first time all over again.”

  My thighs tighten and I lift my hips for more. Every muscle in his bulky frame is taut and still, as if he’s afraid to move.

  It’s something I understand. Having him again after all this time with nothing between us is too much. We’re poking a sleeping dragon and I’m afraid of what we’ll both do—or not do—if he moves another millimeter.

  But Cole tempts us both. He slides out to the tip before taking me again with even more force. He groans and this time I’m sure he’s in pain. “I need to wrap up.”

  “Yes,” I agree but hold him tighter. “Now is no time to be careless.”

  “I don’t know,” he growls and starts to move. “You’re the only person I want to be careless with.”

  He shows me how strongly he feels about throwing caution to the wind. Circling an arm around my lower back, he lifts my hips from the bed, his thrusts reaching deeper. Cole is proving exactly what he said, that I’m his.

  I always have been and always will be.

  “Baby.” His lips press against my temple and he starts to move faster.

  I know his body when we’re like this … he’s close. “Cole—”

  “Shh. I know.”

  “But—”

  “Fuck,” he hisses into my hair and pulls out.

  He presses his hips into me, the underside of his shaft rubs up and down on my still-sensitive clit. I gasp for a second time and he lets go, his body tensing when he comes. When he rolls me to my side so he doesn’t give me his weight, he holds me close, gluing our bodies together in a sticky, wonderful mess.

  “That was—”

  His lips stop my words and he takes my mouth. When he finally breaks for air, he finishes my thought. “That was fucking magnificent and you’re getting on birth control as soon as possible. Do you know how hard it’s going to be for me to wrap up after having you like that?”

  I press my lips to his jaw because he’s right.

  “Love you, sweetness.” He doesn’t let me go. I’m so worn out from Cole’s surprise and now this, I’m sated and exhausted. I have no desire to move away from him.

  “Cole—” I can’t seem to put two words together and am interrupted by the ringing of the only cell phone we have left between the two of us.

  He reaches over me without breaking our connection. “This better be a four-alarm fire, Hollingsworth.”

  I press into him and drag my hand down to his ass and squeeze. His gaze shifts to mine and his cocky smile he shoots me too often starts to form.

  Then, it freezes.

  He frowns.

  “What is it?” I whisper.

  “How the fuck did that happen?” he bites.

  “Cole,” I demand.

  He looks at me and shakes his head. “Shit. Okay. Keep me updated.” He pauses. “Yeah. We take off first thing in the morning. I’ll meet you at Vega’s.”

  He disconnects his call and tosses the cell to the bed behind me.

  “Dammit, Cole. Tell me.”

  “Marie Kasey.”

  My brows pinch. “The irritable reporter. What about her?”

  “She was shot tonight.”

  Chapter 23

  Welcome to Crew’s Fucked-Up Family

  Bella

  What’s the saying?

  Two steps forward…

  Three million steps back.

  Fine. That’s not the saying. But I’ve gone from treading water in the middle of t
he deepest oceans to drowning in a hurricane.

  Despite Crew’s men putting a tail on Kasey, someone got to her when she was in a crowded bar in Georgetown. The result is not the one Randolph wanted, but that doesn’t mean it’s good, either.

  Cole and I are in the backseat of Grady’s enormous SUV after he picked us up at the small airport in Virginia. I haven’t bothered with pleasantries, demanding updates on every damn storm swirling over our heads at the moment. “Any word on Marie Kasey?”

  Grady glances back as he changes lanes. “ICU and it doesn’t look good.”

  “Shit.”

  “Shit is right,” he echoes. “Ozzy’s beating himself up over it. He was following as close as he could, she slipped into a crowded bar in Georgetown when he lost her. The next thing you know, screams came from the back near the restrooms. She was found on the floor bleeding out—GSW to the chest. Whoever Randolph hired is a piss-poor shot because it’s not hard to kill someone at that range and she’s still alive.”

  That hits a little too close to home and a chill runs down my spine. Cole reaches over and grabs my hand, gritting, “Yeah, we know all too well.”

  Grady’s eyes shoot to the rearview mirror, wincing. “Damn. Sorry, Bella.”

  I shake my head. “No worries. Thank goodness for piss-poor-shooting bad guys, right?”

  “We need to decide what to do with the recordings of Randolph ordering the hit. It’s not exactly like it was a judge-approved wiretap but it also wasn’t on U.S. soil, either. Everyone is ready to meet and discuss when we get back. This is not our usual MO. We don’t play by your rules, Carson. I’m not gonna lie, Crew is on edge about this—especially with you being involved.”

  Cole shakes his head. “I’m the one coordinating your work. If Crew thinks I have an issue with any of this, he’s wrong. I have two goals in life right now—to clear Bella’s name and figure out why my boss wants me dead. There aren’t many boundaries I won’t cross on a normal day and I’ll fucking bulldoze through the rest of them to meet those two goals. I should be the least of his worries.”

  “I’ll take care of Crew,” I add.

  Cole’s eyes narrow on me. “It’s my working relationship, sweetness. I can handle it.”

  I hike a brow and hope he can translate my glare for what it means. Just because we look different upon returning to the States than we did before we left, does not mean he can strong-arm me as if we’re operating in the wild west.

  I turn to him fully. “Whatever means you’re using to handle it with Crew Vega hasn’t worked in years. I need two minutes with him and I promise whatever alpha rodeo you two have going on will be brushed under the rug once and for all.”

  A frown sets into his handsome olive-skinned face. “No.”

  In contrast, my expression is smug. “A wager?”

  He shakes his head and turns toward the front. “No.”

  “Oh, but you like wagers, right, love?” I ask, reminding him of the one he threw down, the dare of a lifetime, while I was still weak in the hospital. I reach up and poke Grady on the shoulder. “Are you a gambling man? Who would you put your money on when it comes to your boss? Cole or my charming self?”

  I can’t see his entire face through the mirror, but his blue eyes crinkle. “My money is on you, Bella.”

  “Fucking-A,” Cole mutters and squeezes my hand.

  “Indeed.” I smile for the first time since we were in the presence of my family last night. Well, I take that back—I did smile in the shower this morning when Cole cursed the invention of condoms right before he slid one on and fucked me in the shower. I do need to get some birth control sorted quickly. I hope Gracie can help me out with that as well. I pull my hand from his and put my fingers to his chin. When he turns to me, I brush the pad of my thumb over his bottom lip, wishing we were alone again—I’ve missed every part of him. “Don’t be a sore loser, darling.”

  The next thing I know, my thumb is caught between his teeth and a smirk plays on those lips I’ve enjoyed for the last twelve hours.

  “Fuck me,” Grady sighs. “Now I know how Jarvis feels. I take my kids to preschool in this car. When all this is said and done, you two need a long vacation where no one has to see you or listen to you on surveillance so you can work this shit out of your systems.”

  I smile bigger when he kisses my thumb he just bit. “Will I ever work you out of my system, baby?”

  “I’m counting on it never happening.”

  Cole

  A thick folder lands with a thud on the table.

  Crew’s dining room in his shitty farmhouse headquarters has been transformed since we left two days ago. Three enormous screens have been hung over the faded wallpaper that looks older than Red. Each screen displays a live surveillance feed. One of the land we’re standing on, another is a building in the woods I don’t recognize, and the third is my house and property.

  Didn’t know they were doing this but seeing as my boss and his boss want me dead, can’t say I’m not grateful.

  Crew, Asa, Grady, Jarvis, and Ozzy—who I just met—are a group of men trained and more than willing to carry out the shit the rest of us can’t because that shit is against the law. They get paid handsomely for it because they’re on their own. Should they get caught, no one will claim them or help them out of a situation besides one another.

  A group of risk takers—measured risk takers—who get paid a shit ton for taking out the dark underbelly of the world.

  Crew flips open the folder. “We need to get to it. Our list of shit to discuss is long—”

  “Excuse me,” Bella butts in.

  All their attention turns to her.

  “Bella, don’t do this,” I warn.

  She ignores me and levels her eyes on the leader of this secret group. “Do you trust me?”

  He shows no emotion whatsoever. Not a tick, a frown, or even a damn shrug to appease her. Definitely not a smile. “What kind of question is that?”

  “A fair one,” she insists, crossing her arms. “Have I ever once given you reason to question my work or my judgement?”

  Crew doesn’t take his eyes off her. “You’re not.”

  “What you’re doing for me, I’ll never be able to repay the debt. You’re working to give me my life back and I’ll be forever grateful. Should I not end up dead or in prison—”

  “Don’t talk that way,” I warn.

  She continues to ignore me and I wonder if she remembers I’m the one delivering all her orgasms.

  “Whatever this is,” she motions between me and him, “is done. I trust you and Cole equally and I need your respect for each other to mirror that.”

  Now I’m definitely going to need to remind her of the fact she trusts me more than anyone, because I love her.

  And, orgasms.

  Crew Vega’s eyes shift to me and he pauses before lifting his chin. “Done.”

  I accept his one-word apology and nod because, one: I’ll do anything for Bella, and two: I didn’t fucking do anything wrong to begin with.

  Bella turns to me. “See? Less than a minute.”

  Grady barks a laugh and Crew clears his throat. “Let’s get started. The last couple days have been busy and we’re all doing shit we don’t normally do. Ozzy’s background includes military imaging and surveillance. This shit is impressive,” he waves to the screens on the wall behind him, “and an investment.”

  Ozzy is one of Crew’s newer recruits but hasn’t been sent out on assignment yet. He has been busy, like everyone else, with Bella’s shit.

  And now, mine.

  He points to the first screen. “This is camp. It’s a good idea to have another eye on things besides the ground cameras.”

  “Where are the feeds coming from?” I ask. The CIA can do this shit any day of the week, but not everyone can.

  Ozzy keeps talking. “Satellite. Crew’s not kidding, this is an investment. He’s the proud new owner of Reskill, a satellite company with over one hundred and forty satell
ites around the world.”

  “You bought an entire satellite company while we were in the Caribbean?” Bella asks, mirroring my thoughts.

  Crew shrugs. “I’ve been contemplating it for months. I can follow my men while they’re on assignment and keep a better eye on my property and Whitetail. It was in motion and this pushed it along.”

  “It’s not only video surveillance. We can now communicate with camp safely over our own private network—no more going dark. We can also capture electromagnetic wavelengths to sense radar and hyper-spectral images. Fuck clouds and buildings—we can sense figures through them and measure something down to a millimeter. This,” Ozzy juts a thumb over his shoulder, “is the shit.”

  I cross my arms. “Impressive. I bet you can do almost anything we can do.”

  “That’s my plan,” Crew says and nods back to Ozzy. “And he knows how to work this shit because the rest of us have no clue yet.”

  I point to the middle screen. “I see you’re spying on my house, but what’s on the other one?”

  “The church.” Asa moves to the head of the table. “But it’s no church. And Wendy Sisson made her first visit we witnessed. There was a meeting in the backroom of the building where every human on the property congregated. It lasted fourteen minutes then she was out of there like a streak of shit. We’re working on getting facial IDs on the others.”

  I sigh because this is a lot, but it’s also nothing. Not one new piece of information we can do anything with.

  “Your boss is a prick,” Jarvis adds.

  “Tell me something I don’t know,” I mutter.

  “Your house has been quiet other than a couple of deliveries. It seems you living and breathing stresses Peterson out. We heard it on the wires. He’s got his tighty-whities in a bunch over you returning to work tomorrow.”

  I pull a hand down my face. “Yeah. I can’t wait.”

  Jarvis pulls something out of his back pocket and flings it across the room to me. When I catch it, I see it’s my government issued cell phone my boss was using to track me. “I went to the Kennedy Center. Had to BS my way through security and tell them my cell was locked up in the coat room. That was almost as enjoyable as dealing with my insurance company over my stolen and fucked-up Porsche. You’re a fun guy to have around.”