Touching Silver

by Jamie Craig

  “I don’t understand why it’s your fault she betrayed him.”

  “Because I should’ve seen it coming.” He took a deep breath and opened his eyes again. Keeping them closed called forth ghosts of willowy blondes and long knives that made him yearn for something hard to drown himself in. “I should’ve seen something was up. But I didn’t. Because she only had to look at me and I’d go all dumb. I fell for her act, too, you know. And I’ve hated that I let her get to me so badly that it almost cost me something I can never replace.”

  “How long do you plan to punish yourself for that mistake?”

  “What makes you think I’m punishing myself?”

  “How many partners have you had since Nathan retired? How many girlfriends? How many times have you finished a meal, or taken a night off, or done something fun? You’ve exiled yourself, Isaac, and tried to fill the void with work.”

  Each word stabbed a little deeper, but only because they were honed in truth. There had been occasions in the past six months—ever since Remy had come into Nathan’s life and given him hope again—when Nathan had hinted at the same thing.

  You’re only alone because you choose to be. It’s time to move on.

  “You’re here, aren’t you?” he said in a last ditch attempt to make it sound not quite so bad. “I get credit for that, don’t I?”

  “You might get credit for good taste. But only if it’s a sign you’re going to stop punishing yourself.”

  Gently, Isaac pushed her away, forcing Olivia to sit up and turn around to face him. He searched her face for a sign of…anything, really. Something that would make all of this make sense. “Why? Why do you care?”

  “I care because I care about you. I like you, Isaac. More than I’ve liked anybody in a long time. But I’m not even going to think about going down that road for somebody who isn’t interested or available.”

  That was the Olivia he was coming to know, the one he was coming to care for. He slid his hands down her arms, stopping when he reached her bare skin. His slow caresses brought goose bumps visibly to her flesh. “You’re the first woman in years who’s made me think twice. Last night when I found you…I was already thinking of you as something more. Realizing how much it was going to hurt if something happened to you just cemented it.”

  A smile tugged on her lips. “Does this mean you’re going to get all caveman on me any time I’m in danger?”

  He smiled back. “Or I could get all caveman on you when you’re not in danger. That might be more fun.”

  “As long as you don’t drag me anywhere by my hair.” She cupped the back of his neck, her fingertips stroking his skin, and drew him closer. “I think you owe me a kiss.”

  Isaac slid his hands beneath her ass in order to pull her onto his lap. “What happened to being too tired?” Their mouths were just a fraction of an inch apart, and the scent of her skin mingling with her perfume filled his nose. “God, you smell good.”

  “I guess I’ve caught my second wind.” She opened to him almost immediately, allowing him to trace her lips with the tip of his tongue before pushing deeper into her mouth. She moaned as their tongues touched, pressing her body closer to his.

  His muscles were still languid, exhaustion and frustration and blame weighing him down, but Olivia’s added heat and his growing desire gave him energy to respond with more than a kiss. Tightening his fingers into the soft flesh of her bottom, Isaac urged her legs to straddle his hips, the warmth that had settled in his groin during her massage washing through him. How he’d gone the entire day without kissing her again, he had no idea.

  Olivia fit against his body perfectly, not hesitant or self-conscious, unbelievably soft—her lips on his, her breath on his skin, the tips of her hair brushing against his hand. She eased back enough to fit her hands between their bodies, her fingers toying with the buttons of his shirt. She freed the top two, exposing the column of his throat to her lips.

  His head tipped back, his breathing shallow as the tip of her tongue traced along his neck. Nothing had felt this good in a very, very long time. “Olivia…” he murmured, but she didn’t stop, simply continuing the slow exploration of his skin. He swallowed hard, trying to remember what he wanted to ask her. She had a way of making the rest of the world disappear.

  He barely felt her teeth—she seemed intent on simply tasting him, fluttering over the hollow of his throat, the tip of his ear, the ridge of his jaw. She followed her tongue with her lips, occasionally pursing them to blow warm air across his damp skin. The hair on the back of his neck stood on end, and chills rolled down his back each time.

  “I’ve been thinking about this,” she admitted without lifting her head. “Wondering what it would be like to kiss you like this.”

  Sliding his hand up her back, feeling every ridge of her spine, the way she undulated against him, Isaac tangled his fingers in her hair as soon as he reached it. “Are you really going to make me sleep on the couch again? Because all I’ve been thinking about is what it would feel like to wake up in bed, curled up around you.”

  Olivia leaned back so she could meet his eyes. “Is that all you want to do in my bed tonight?”

  Frankly, he was so tired it hadn’t occurred to him to expect anything else. “Our first time should be when we’re both awake enough to appreciate it.” He grinned. “I’d like to think when you pass out afterward that it’s because of how good it was, not because you’re exhausted.”

  She returned his grin. “You make a good point, Detective.” She disentangled herself from him and held out her hand. “Come on. Let’s try to get some sleep.”

  His muscles groaned as he stood, and he paused to stretch and crack his back. “Tiberius isn’t going to get jealous, is he?”

  “I’ll lock Tiberius in his room. He’ll be fine.” She snapped her fingers and the dog jumped to his feet. She hooked her fingers beneath his collar and began to guide him out of the living room. “It’s the room at the end of the hall. I like to sleep on the side closest to the window.”

  He watched her ass as she led Tiberius out, then ventured down the hall to find the room in question. It was decorated like the rest of her place, warm and cozy with numerous reminders of a life outside of the police force. The bed was large and piled with pillows and the odd stuffed animal, and the scent of her perfume was even stronger here. Isaac started stripping out of his clothes the second he smelled it.

  When Olivia walked in, she immediately shut the door behind her. “I’m not getting up at five tomorrow morning to eat breakfast.”

  Draping his shirt over the back of her vanity chair, Isaac watched as she cleared the bed. “What if I get up and make you breakfast?”

  “That depends.” She pulled the sheets back and slipped beneath them. “What do you know how to make?”

  If he were a gentleman, he’d leave his jeans on, just like she left on her T-shirt and sweats. But jeans were uncomfortable, and Isaac wanted the freedom of being able to wrap around her without restriction.

  “The usual.” He folded his jeans before climbing into bed, and immediately reached for her. “Whatever you want.”

  “I like extra-crispy bacon.” Olivia allowed him to pull her back against his chest. She rested her head on his shoulder and he draped his arm over her stomach. She curled her fingers through his. “Some might call it overcooked.”

  Chuckling, Isaac buried his nose in her hair, his eyes closing of their own accord. “I guess it’s a good thing I don’t expect you to be perfect, either.”

  “I never met a bacon snob before you.”

  “I’m not a snob.” Her warmth was soporific, and already he felt his body shutting down. “I’m selective.” His mouth brushed across her nape. “I fell for you, didn’t I?”

  She squeezed his hand gently. “Then I guess you do get credit for good taste.”

  He fell asleep with a smile on his lips.

  Chapter Eleven

  Nathan had never been so grateful to see a phone in his li
fe. Only a day and a half had passed since they left Buenos Aires behind, but it felt like much longer. He couldn’t remember the last time he had gone thirty-six hours without communicating with Isaac, and Remy couldn’t resist teasing him about it. But if Gabriel had tried to kill them, what would stop him from ordering a hit or ten on Isaac? Worry didn’t even begin to describe what the knots in his stomach felt like.

  He swore he had to dial a hundred numbers. The phone card number, the phone card code, Isaac’s cell. Sweat rolled down his neck and back, and his shirt stuck to his skin. The phone rang far too many times. He checked his watch and mentally subtracted four hours. Six-thirty in the morning. Isaac should be at breakfast.

  It occurred to him if something had happened to Isaac, nobody would know how to get in contact with him.

  “Pick up, you bastard,” Nathan murmured, just before the ringing cut off.

  His heart jumped when the static of the open line interrupted the ringing, followed closely by a muttered curse. “Hello?” a groggy Isaac said. His voice was hoarse, his tone wary. In the background, Nathan could have sworn he heard a dog bark.

  Nathan double-checked his watch. It was definitely six-thirty in sunny southern California. “Are you asleep?”

  “Well, I was,” came the annoyed response. “What time is it?”

  Nathan wondered if he hadn’t just made a phone call to the Twilight Zone. “It’s half past six. You’ve usually been to the gym and breakfast by now. What’s going on?”

  “Late night. We lost the guys who were holding Stacy yesterday. Where are you? Still in Argentina?”

  “Yeah. A village about a day out of Buenos Aires.” Nathan frowned, far from satisfied with the explanation. Losing a suspect always fed Isaac’s insomnia. It didn’t put him to sleep. “How did you lose them?”

  “One escaped when we showed with the warrant to arrest them, and Gabriel sniped the other outside the station. Olivia and I spent the rest of our night securing Stacy and her informant before Gabriel got to them too.” Another bark echoed in the background, and then there was a creak. Isaac’s bed, must be. “Did something happen down there? Is that what the wake-up call is for?”

  “No. We have a meeting this afternoon with a historian and folklorist. I guess I could have called after we spoke with her, but I thought I’d make sure you were still alive.” The dog barked for a third time. “Since when do they allow dogs in your building?”

  “They don’t.” He paused, and then added in a guarded tone, “That’s Tiberius you’re hearing. He’s Olivia’s.”

  Nathan would be hard-pressed to think of any announcement that could surprise him more. Maybe if Isaac calmly explained he had grown wings and he would be flying down to join them on the Silver River.

  “You’re sleeping with the cold case detective?” Nathan asked slowly.

  “Her name’s Olivia,” Isaac said. Another creak. It dawned on Nathan that it must have been Detective Wright he’d heard the first time. A door clicked shut. “And technically, yeah, I slept with her. Technically.”

  He couldn’t bite back his smile. “You’re having sleepovers with Detective Wright? Did you braid each other’s hair and gossip about boys?”

  “Olivia. And you know, you’re one to talk. How long did it take you to trip over Remy? I seem to recall finding her underwear wedged in your couch the first morning she was in your house.”

  Nathan frowned. He never claimed to be perfect; he knew he’d moved fast with Remy. But he’d also never lied to Isaac about it. “Because Remy slept on my couch. Where is your underwear wedged this morning?”

  “The crack of my ass, that’s where.” Isaac sighed. He spoke again in a noticeably lower voice. “Look, I know this is going to sound insane, but I really like this woman. And we were both exhausted last night, and just sleeping with her sounded like the next best thing to heaven at two in the morning. Nothing else happened.” He paused. “I don’t want to fuck this up by forcing the sex too soon.”

  Nathan realized he had been wrong before. This announcement surprised him more than learning Isaac had spent the night at Detective…Olivia’s. For a moment, he wondered who this person was and what he had done with his best friend.

  “How much do you like her?”

  “Enough to tell her about Susanna when the subject got brought up.”

  Nathan rubbed his forehead. Is this what happens when I leave town for a few days? “What did you tell her? I know she already knows the highlights.”

  “Yeah, well, now she knows the lowlights too. But it’s not what you’re thinking, Nathan. I only started sleeping over here because of some shit Gabriel’s been pulling to yank my chain. It freaked Olivia out, so I agreed to sleep on her couch until we got him arrested. Last night…neither one of us wanted me on the couch.”

  All thoughts about Isaac’s surprising love life fled. “What has Gabriel done to you?”

  “Nothing big. Some pictures, broke into my apartment…” He heard Isaac sucking on his teeth as if contemplating what to say next. “He killed Sonny and Cher. Cut their heads off and just left them floating in the tank.”

  “What? Has he seen The Godfather too many times?”

  “My point exactly. Except Olivia doesn’t see it that way. So I’m here until we get this sorted out. She doesn’t need to be worrying about me on top of everything else with this case.”

  Well, that was fine. Except now the knots in Nathan’s gut were the size of bowling balls. “I hate being stuck down here. I should be watching your back. It sounds like things are getting really ugly.”

  “Thing have always been ugly with Gabriel.” He sounded more awake now, more his usual self. “And right now, you need to get whatever you can on that damn coin. I’m tired of that asshole being one step ahead of us all the time. We need this playing field leveled and we need it done yesterday.”

  Nathan glanced out the window and noticed Remy sitting on the porch in a tank top and a pair of tight jeans. She watched the Silver River.

  “We should be back in town by the end of the week, and I hope to God we can find what you need. Have you replaced Sonny and Cher yet?”

  “No. I’m not…I’m not thinking about that yet. I’m not even at my place, so I wouldn’t be able to take care of them anyway. But…take care of yourself, will you? You and Remy. I need you two back here in one piece.”

  Nathan paused before answering, waiting for the punch line, but it never came. It was like he dialed the wrong number, only instead of getting the wrong person, he found the wrong year.

  Stranger things have happened. Ask your girlfriend about finding the wrong year.

  The stray thought was far from comforting. In fact, it was a colossal mindfuck. He didn’t want to live in a world where it seemed possible to call a person from six years earlier and have a pleasant chat.

  “Yeah, you take care of yourself too. If Gabriel will stoop to killing your fish, there’s no telling what he’s capable of.”

  “Not for much longer, hopefully. Call me tonight, will you? I’ll be awake then. I promise.”

  “I’ll call you as soon as we get back to the town,” Nathan promised. “And, Isaac? I’m glad you found a place to sleep.”

  He chuckled. “Me too. Maybe I’ll even be able to convince her to grab another hour of it.”

  Nathan said his goodbyes, then hung up. A disembodied voice informed him he had twenty minutes left on the card, and then the line went silent. He briefly imagined Isaac in a strange woman’s bed, happy just to be there, thinking about staying there for another hour. Once his confusion began to fade, Nathan had to admit he was really happy Isaac was opening up to somebody.

  Remy was still staring at the water when Nathan stepped outside the door, and he quietly moved behind her and slipped his arm around her waist.

  “What are you thinking about?” Nathan rested his chin on the top of her head.

  She took a long time answering, wrapping her arm over his. “I was wondering what it was like
for her. What it felt like to be a slave, to not be free to go and live the life she wanted to. I’m not so sure I would’ve lived to be an old lady like she did. I think I would’ve gone cracked or tried getting away sooner.”

  “No, you’re a fighter. You wouldn’t have given up or gone crazy.” Remy had been consumed with thoughts about the Silver Maiden, the myth, the missing girls, since they landed in Argentina. It almost seemed like they were searching for information about Remy’s own grandmother instead of some mythical woman who may not have existed at all.

  And he didn’t like the way she seemed so unhappy.

  “Guess where Isaac was just now when I called him.”

  “You’re not there. Where else would he be but work?”

  “See, that’s what I thought too. But he was in bed. Detective Wright’s bed.”

  Her head whipped around, and her eyes were wide as saucers. “The redhead? He fucked his partner?”

  “He claims they literally just slept in the same bed. I’m not sure if I can buy it, though. I mean, Isaac’s been in a long dry spell and she’s his type.”

  “I thought his type involved an air pump and a gag. She seemed too smart to chump for his usual lines.”

  “She is. But maybe he’s finally found somebody who can draw him out of his shell. He likes women who, as you put it, don’t damsel.”

  Remy snorted with a shade of disbelief, but at least she wasn’t thinking about the Silver Maiden anymore. “For as much hell as he’s always given me…but hey, maybe getting some will make him less likely to leave me locked up next time.” She twisted around and got up on her knees, looping her arms around his neck. “He’s okay, though, right? Gabriel hasn’t taken a shot at him, too, has he?”

  Nathan kissed her forehead with a soft sigh. “Apparently he and Olivia arrested one of Gabriel’s men, and Gabriel retaliated by ordering a hit on him. His man, not Isaac. And apparently Gabriel had somebody sneak into Isaac’s house and kill his fish. Which is really bizarre, but I don’t know, maybe that’s what gang lords do now.”