Dangerous Care (Dangerous Care Saga Book 1)

by M. M. Cameron

  “Well there is only one thing a smart northern girl can do during a storm like this…” Ryanne looked at Kathryn and smiled.

  “Masturbate?”

  Kathryn laughed out loud.

  “Well whatever floats your boat, just do it in your own bedroom. This smart northern girl will be drinking wine, eating cheese and taking the hottest bath possible before our hot water tank shuts off in the storm!” With that, Kathryn picked up a new bottle of chardonnay and headed to the bathroom.

  It was probably the best room in the house and had the most authentic cottage feel. After seeing Madoc’s techie million-dollar bathroom she’d felt a new appreciation for the quality items her mom had chosen. The pristine white modern sinker tub was the centrepiece of the entire space and had cost her parents a pretty penny. It looked like a tub from the future, but with soft lines and copper faucets. The entire room was made with fragrant cedar planks that gave off an unmistakable aroma, especially when heated. A sitting area with stone carved out of the local Canadian Shield rock made up the wall on one side, with jagged stone sink basins to match.

  White fluffy towels lined each railing and a large open cupboard held the remaining lot. A stone covered shower with a large raindrop showerhead near the corner of the room provided a place of privacy and luxury. Kathryn had never really appreciated how romantic this bathroom really was. She had a feeling that this newfound appreciation had something to do with Madoc. She meandered over to the tub and started the tab, adding vanilla spice bubbles.

  Madoc and Tuck touched down at around five-thirty and quickly located a rental vehicle for their remaining journey. Getting their car and weapons from the plane hold had thankfully only taken them an extra twenty minutes, but Madoc was more than frustrated when the GPS said they had another two hours of driving. He knew Kathryn may not have that much time left. The weather certainly didn’t help their travel time, but Tuck correctly pointed out that for the four Middle Eastern men this weather could present serious issues. Not only that, Charlie had texted them the exact address she’d found off the hacked land deed registrar which would make it that much easier to find them. Madoc had to hold onto this glimmer of hope as he drove through the blistering wind and the ever-constant snow.

  Chapter 26

  They pulled into the first driveway that had a mailbox standing out front. It had taken over forty-five minutes to navigate the winding roads safely and locate the first cottage as the storm started to hit. That alone had eaten up any daylight that remained and they were now enveloped in darkness and the constant sound of heavy winds. Since leaving the convenience store, Mohamed’s eyes had drifted to the vehicle clock every five minutes. He was beginning to wish he had killed that store owner just for the stress relief it would have provided. Their hour of daylight was gone and if the women weren’t at this cottage then the team’s plan would have to change drastically. Mohamed felt the desperation as his beautiful strategy began to disintegrate around him. Usif and Adil jumped out of their vehicles as Khalifa shut off the car headlights. It was clear that nobody was here. This would have to be their home-base for now until they could re-evaluate their game plan.

  Mohamed finally spoke. “Take the weapons inside, search for any resources we can use and try to pinpoint which cottage we should survey next.” Usif, who was often considered the weakest of the group because of his softness towards innocents, was the first to point out the obvious: “Ah Mohamed, if we go in the vehicle we are more likely to be seen and attacked by the Canadian team. If we go on foot, we could freeze to death if we take a wrong turn—what are we going to do? We have run out of sunlight.”

  Khalifa walked away towards the cottage, not waiting for Mohamed’s answer. Adil also moved to unpack the weapons in the car and left Usif to defend himself. Mohamed looked at Usif, “poor baby is cold? Well Usif, here are your options: if you don’t go out into the cold, I kill you. If you take the car on the only road, the Canadians will kill you. If we fail our mission tonight, our client kills you. We have one chance to do this and get out. Don’t speak to me again unless it is worthy of my time.”

  Ryanne sat on the large L-shaped couch looking out into darkness she knew was the lake. Thankfully, the electricity was still flowing, so she had quickly heated up a frozen pizza to munch on while she sipped wine and waited for Kathryn to finish in the bath. It was close to seven PM and, from the sound of things, Kathryn had just finished running the bath. She assumed Kathryn probably needed some good soaking time and was willing to be patient and drink copious glasses of the excellent Pinot Noir she had bought. The weather advisories continued to show on the television, indicating the bristling storm was picking up speed. The cottage bones groaned occasionally during heavier sways, but it was made with good quality wood and stayed firm. The gas fireplace warmed the room, but this would be the only luxury remaining if the electricity went. She didn’t think either of them would be hooking up the generator in this weather.

  Bang! Bang! Bang! Something was pounding on the screen door, making Ryanne jump and yelp at the same time, spilling some of her wine onto the floor.

  Rising from the couch, she made a snap decision not to get Kathryn from the tub. Instead, she turned on all of the lights on the patio and tried to peek through the ornamental window near the very top. She saw a hand with a gun waving at her.

  “What the fuck?” She was almost positive they were about to be murdered.

  Chapter 27

  Ryanne ran over to the couch and coffee table and picked up her phone, finally turning it back on. Whoever was outside stopped knocking, but Ryanne knew from the shadows falling against the snow that someone was still there. Her phone chimed on and was instantly flooded with messages and missed phone calls from one “Smuck,” the contact name she had given Tuck on the night of the bar. She decided to call him—it seemed like the most reasonable thing to do given the situation.

  “Ryanne, it’s Tuck. Let us in. It’s Madoc and me outside. You guys are in serious danger and so are we, open up now.” Ryanne didn’t say anything but opened the large wooden door using all of her strength, still keeping the phone up to her ear. With a final tug, the door swung open toward her. Behind the glass, Madoc and Tuck stood back-to-back covered in heavy white snow, shifting left to right, guns in both hands. Ryanne almost swallowed her tongue. Tuck moved to open the screen door but the deadbolt was still across. He yelled through the door. “Open the fucking door now before our brains get blown out!” Without pause, Ryanne followed his orders and opened the door. Swinging a large black duffle bag Tuck pushed her out of the way as Madoc followed him, moving backwards with his gun facing outwards into the blizzard. As they crossed the threshold, Tuck slammed the screen and door shut, bolting both and turning off all the patio lights.

  Tuck began searching the cottage, shutting off lights as he went. The TV went too. Tuck moved up the stairs with his back against the wall, gun held with both hands. Ryanne watched in horror as he raised his gun and pointed it into each doorway on the upper level. When he got to the only closed door, he shook the handle and looked to Ryanne. Ryanne whispered as loud as she could, “Kathryn... it’s the bathroom.” Tuck nodded and moved on. Ryanne decided she might as well take a seat until they were finished, and flopped down, sipping her wine. As the minutes passed, the tension slowly ebbed and Ryanne felt more comfortable breaking the silence.

  “What are you guys doing here? Why are we in danger?” Madoc limped towards her, still holding his gun in his hand.

  “How long has she been in there? Did Kathryn mention anything about my job?” Ryanne shook her head.

  “She’s taking a bath and she hasn’t said a word about you, but maybe she should have.” She turned to watch Tuck descend the stairs carrying a large lit candle obscured by his gun-wielding hand. Madoc had moved away from her and was now lowering the blinds at each window. Tuck picked up his bag and sat beside her, rifling through the black duffle bag in silence.

  “Madoc and I are part of a sec
urity team that protects important people. There has been a group of men hired to come after one of our clients. You and Kathryn are in their crosshairs because of the connection to Madoc. They are either on their way, or here now.” Ryanne finished her glass of wine in one gulp and poured the remainder of the bottle into her glass. Tuck grabbed the glass and finished it in front of her.

  “Why would coming after us be their goal? What did we do?” Ryanne asked as she moved towards the wine rack. The room was silent until she returned, both men seemingly too enthralled in their actions.

  Madoc finally sat down and turned to Ryanne. “We think they are trying to draw me and the team out to come rescue you, like a trap. The storm somehow delayed or prevented them from reaching their goal and gave us the extra time to reach you.” The light from the candle gave the room an eerie glow and stretched dancing shadows on the log wall.

  Ryanne stood up. “So let’s get the fuck out of here; we have two cars, let’s go into the city and call the police… why haven’t you guys called the police?” her voice revealed the near-hysteria she was feeling.

  Madoc picked up Ryanne’s fresh glass of wine and drank it down before speaking. “Unfortunately Ryanne, the cops can’t help us and we are safer here than out in the cold on the one road. If the cars are spotted moving, they would only have to get in front of us and pick us off with a shooter or roadside bomb. If we try to split up and send you and Kathryn ahead, we leave you unprotected. The storm is working in our favour right now and probably making it pretty hard for them to survey this cottage or make a move. We both think we should hunker down for the night, reinforce some weak spots and reassess at first light.” A sudden strong wind whipped into the windows, turning everyone’s head, reminding them how bad it was outside. Ryanne turned back to Madoc. “How many are there? Aren’t we sitting ducks here?”

  Madoc poured her another glass and handed it to her before speaking. “There are likely four of them. They’re here from the Middle East. My guess is that they’re not prepared for this storm and probably didn’t have time to get the resources they need. If we can’t get out at first light then we want them to come to us… Tuck and I can handle them, especially if we have time to set up some traps outside. The rest of our team will be able to get here by the afternoon via helicopter if the weather agrees. We will keep you safe. I promise.” Tuck began rummaging through the bag until he pulled out several small gadgets and something that looked like an explosive to Ryanne. She figured it was about time she told Kathryn what was going on and stood up. Madoc stood at the same time. “Where are you going?”

  Ryanne placed her glass on the table and looked towards the bathroom. “Somebody has to tell Kathryn. She is not going to believe this…”

  Madoc placed his hand on her arm, “we need to stay together in pairs, you with Tuck and Kathryn with me. If there is an ambush, it will not help to have you and Kathryn together unprotected. Stay with Tuck and be his eyes and ears as he sets up on the outside of the house. I can’t do much in the snow with this leg. I will talk to Kathryn.”

  Ryanne wasn’t sure she should let this happen, but allowed Tuck to move her towards the door. It was going to be a long night.

  Chapter 28

  The massive tub had held the heat at the same skin-reddening temperature for close to an hour, keeping the steam and bubbles plentiful. Kathryn had both legs propped against the end of the tub and her body was sunk all the way down to her neck. She had almost polished off the bottle and a wine-induced haze had brought on a feeling of contentment she hadn’t known in a while. Large pillar candles placed around the bathroom created the only light in the room and softly wavered with the subtle air currents that had made it inside the cottage. Strands of her hair escaped her top knot and framed her face and neck as she relaxed her head against the edge. Earlier she had heard some noise below, but had chalked it up to Ryanne’s dangerous cooking skills. She did not hear the soft click of the door as it opened and closed.

  “Kathryn, don’t freak out,” a low male voice said behind her.

  Kathryn jumped and turned her head, covering her chest while straining to see behind her. There was Madoc in his cast, standing with his back against the door. Kathryn turned back around and sunk her body even deeper.

  “What the fuck are you doing here Madoc, get out! Where’s Ryanne?” She could sense that he hadn’t moved.

  “Kathryn, the assassins we were tracking are here, and they’re after you and Ryanne.” Madoc paused. Kathryn turned her head slightly to the right, encouraging him to continue. “We think they’re trying to get to me through you. The storm has slowed them down but all of us are in real danger. I’m sorry I’ve pulled you into this… this was the last thing I wanted. I tried so hard to get you out of the picture for this exact reason.”

  Kathryn was unable to speak. She heard him shift slightly on his cast. “Say something Kathryn.”

  “Come over here so I can talk to you, you can’t see anything with the bubbles.” She could hear him shuffle towards the tub and turned her head to watch him walk past her and sit on the stone shower bench. He was in full black combat gear and had a gun on his hip and good leg. His face was gaunt and serious. He still looked good, even with the goofy cast ruining the whole image. He made brief eye contact with her then looked down between his knees. She couldn’t tell if this was some form of chivalry or if he was embarrassed. “Who is here?” Kathryn asked.

  “Tuck is downstairs with Ryanne. The other team members were sent out east—we thought the ambush would happen there. It didn’t. We think all four assassins are here. Two crossed the border into Sault Ste. Marie today. We’re safe for now—I think.”

  Kathryn nodded but was having trouble feeling scared. She was tipsy and Madoc’s presence was overwhelming her. She knew she should be taking this more seriously, but she could only focus on him. Madoc looked up at Kathryn and stared into her eyes without saying anything. Kathryn stared back. “You said you tried to get me out of the picture… what did you mean by that?”

  Madoc continued to look at her. “You know what it means Kathryn. I care about you and I didn’t want to see you get hurt. I live a dangerous life and this is a perfect example of how my job would affect anyone I love.”

  Kathryn wasn’t sure if he’d meant to use that word but she was not in a self-critical mood. “Madoc, that’s my choice too, not just yours. I know you felt something between us and so did I. I recognize that there were issues, but you weren’t even willing to show me the respect of discussing it with me. You kicked me to the curb and now you’re here acting like the hero. I think you’re a scared little boy with the emotional intelligence of a tadpole.” The mood in the room grew tense. “So you’re here to save us. And then what Madoc? You walk away again feeling like a superstar while I just have to deal with the fact that you think I don’t ‘fit’ into your life?”

  Madoc stood up and started towards the door. “I don’t feel like a superstar.” He stopped beside the tub, looking down at her. “I can’t think when I’m around you. You’ve changed everything. But right now I need to focus on getting you out of here alive.” He limped back to the door.

  The wine had made Kathryn more brave than usual, and she spoke without turning to face him. “I wanted you and I shouldn’t have. I broke all the rules that make me who I am in the hope that you might want me too… and now I’ve got nothing.” The door didn’t open as Kathryn expected—instead, the silence in the room was filled with the sound of Madoc limping slowly back towards her. She refused to turn and look at him, her closed eyes brimming with tears. She knew that if he said anything to try to make her feel better, she would start crying. She could hear his breath and sense his presence behind her. She had no moves left and was done trying.

  Chapter 29

  Kathryn’s body quivered as she felt his fingers trace her collarbone and softly caress her neck, sweeping away loose tendrils that touched the water. Her skin became a lightning rod, channeling currents to ear
th as it attempted to predict where his touch would go next. His hand urged her head to the side, running through her hair as he brought his lips to the other side of her neck. He started at the base and worked slowly towards her ear. The scruff of his facial hair didn’t hurt her neck but contrasted with the soft fullness of his lips and tongue. When his mouth and breath came closer to her ear, he whispered, “You have everything. You are everything. I will have you whether you know that or not.” Kathryn’s body responded to his voice. She titled her head back further, giving him more access to her. Madoc took the lobe of her ear into his mouth and bit down hard enough to make her nervous. As his hand held her head to the side, his mouth working her ear lobe and neck, his other hand moved down over her shoulder and cleared away the bubbles, exposing her breasts. Kathryn kept her eyes closed, taking in the physical sensations. Kathryn could feel the tips of her nipples harden in the cooler air around her. Madoc took her full and heavy breast in his hand, cupping and squeezing without touching the sweet spot. Kathryn arched into his hand further, encouraging him to push farther and go deeper. Madoc pulled his lips away and spoke again. “I want you to cum for me Kathryn.”

  Kathryn moaned slightly, wanting this as well but knowing she couldn’t get there. She whispered back. “I’m sorry, I can’t… but it still feels good. Keep going.” His thumb moved over her firm nipple and swirled around it, pulling it gently several times. Kathryn could feel the instant connection from her nipple to her core, and she became aware of the growing need to have him inside her. Madoc shifted her head to the other side, pulling his hand away from her breast, taking hold of her head as he started kissing and caressing the other side of her body. Kathryn let another groan escape her lips as his other hand found her breast and nipple, working her body slow and steadily. Kathryn had no way of predicting what he would do next. She was close to begging for more when his hand moved from her taught breast and plunged into the water, tracing her stomach to her hips and over to her bush. Kathryn arched back into him as he slid one finger inside, feeling for her wetness. Even in the water, Kathryn knew she was turned on enough to be slick and ready for him. Madoc found her clit and began working it softly and consistently with his one finger. His other hand moved her head back against the tub rim and changed the pace by seeking out one of her nipples and working it at the same speed as his other hand worked her clit. Kathryn’s body could sense the change of pace and kept in sync with his movements, urging her to push harder against his hands. The sensation of having him so close to penetrating her pushed Kathryn closer and closer to the edge. The movements in tangent with the sensation from her nipple were building her up to come crashing down. Kathryn gasped slightly as Madoc pushed the two fingers inside of her, his thumb switching directions on her clit. Kathryn’s thighs opened wider. The release of control was, to Madoc, almost as satisfying as what he was doing to her body. Madoc pushed a third finger inside of her, stretching her wider. Kathryn felt herself vaulting towards something she hadn’t felt before, an intensity within reach but still unknown and mysterious to her. “Cum for me Kat. Look at your body, you’re fucking stunning. Cum for me.” The words he spoke toppled her remaining restraints as her insides clenched around him while her back and feet arched against the tub. Madoc slowed his pace slightly, letting her ride the final waves calmly. She felt Madoc’s arms move out from the water and slowly under her arms, lifting her out of the water and turning her around to stand in front of him while she still rode her first orgasm down. Unable to process what he was doing, Kathryn stared at him with crescent-eyes, unable to speak. Madoc picked up a white plush towel from near the tub and wrapped her body, his eyes staring straight at her. As Madoc lifted her straight out of the tub and placed her feet on the heated ground, he began to dry her. With one hand holding the towel against her back, Madoc pulled Kathryn to his body and kissed her. Kathryn could feel his erection against her body. They weren’t done yet.