by Diana Gardin
Eli sighs. “I’m not answering any questions with a gun to my head. Have you two forgotten who’s in charge here? You want to get paid? Call off your boyfriend here before he gets hurt.”
All three of Eli’s men pull out their own guns and aim them right at Lawson’s head.
Lawson doesn’t flinch, but he glances at me and then at the three armed guards. Finally, he removes his weapon and holsters it, then stands with his arms folded across his broad chest while he stares at Eli.
“Start talking.”
Eli’s eyes turn cold and hard, their nearly black depths narrowing to slits. “I’m in charge of this operation. And I don’t owe you shit for explanations. Any decisions I make are about the bottom line. You had a little competition today. Period.”
Hawke, who’s been silent up to this point, opens his mouth. “You two came out on top, right? So you’ll get your cut.”
I whirl on him. “Did you know about this?”
I’m not even acting. I’m truly, seriously pissed. Anything could have happened with that other thief today. He could have showed up and shot us both. Lawson and I are lucky he saw me as an opportunity and didn’t think I could take him in a fight.
Like he can sense the danger in the mood clearly displayed on my face, Hawke holds up his hands. “Easy, GoGo.”
Lawson lets loose a growl that has me taking a step forward and grabbing his hand. “We want our cut. When are you unloading the cars?”
Eli smirks, because in his mind, he’s won. “That’s better. We’ll be at the docks three nights from now. My buyer will collect the cars and load them up to be distributed overseas. Then the cash will trickle down accordingly.” His smirk grows into a grin.
I glance at Lawson, knowing we just nailed the bastard. We have the information we need to take Eli down at the docks with the entire task force in tow.
I lift my chin. “Nice doing business with you.”
With that, Lawson and I turn and walk out of the garage.
We’re both quiet on the drive home, Lawson staring straight ahead as he drives. I glance at him every few minutes, taking notice of the way the vein in his temple hasn’t stopped pulsing. The way one hand clutches the steering wheel tightly, while the other grips the gearshift like letting go would break him. When he parks, I open my door and climb out, prepared for a night filled with silence.
But then he’s moving around the front of the car so fast I freeze, and he doesn’t stop until his big body is pressed against mine and my back leans against the cool glass of the passenger window behind me.
“Are you okay?” he rasps, hands cupping my face while his eyes rove over every inch of me.
In the pale glow of the moon above us, his eyes glow softly, and the depth there draws a sharp breath from my chest. His concern is evident, but there’s tenderness there that spreads inside me. Something I’ve been holding together for so long breaks loose.
Emotion wells in my throat, because for the first time in a really long time, I wasn’t alone tonight. I was in danger, like I so often am in my line of work, but I wasn’t alone. I have a partner.
I have Lawson.
A tear streaks down my face and time stands still as Lawson watches it fall. And then he’s kissing me so hard and so deep I nearly sob against his lips. When his tongue dips inside the heat of my mouth, I groan and twine my arms around his neck.
A wooden-planked walkway leads underneath our building, forming a path to the back, and it’s here that Lawson leads me now. Pressing me against the stucco wall, the kiss changes from tender to urgent, possessive. My fingers curl around his neck as his hands roam down my sides and over my hips. He grips me, pulling me against his rock-hard erection, and I writhe, trying to force more friction to ease the growing ache between my thighs. My head drops back against the wall as Lawson grips my long mane and wraps it around his hand. He pulls, careful of my still-healing injury, until he has access to my neck, and his teeth nip my skin as I buck my hips against his.
“God, Lawson. I need…” My voice is breathy, thick with lust.
He hums against the place my heartbeat flutters. “Yeah? Tell me what you need, baby.”
With the hand not wrapped up in my hair, he slides inside my stretchy black pants, beneath my underwear. When his finger slides against the folds of my pussy, slick for him, I let loose a guttural groan.
“This?” he murmurs in my ear. “Is this what you need?”
I nod frantically as tears prick the corners of my eyes. God. How does he do this to me with just a touch?
His long, deft finger circles my clit, and I almost splinter right then and there. But it’s not until he slides two fingers inside me and pumps them in and out with precision that I start to quake. I’m up on my tiptoes, my hips riding the wave his hand creates when he dips his head lower and uses his teeth to pull down the front of my shirt. His mouth closes around one of my nipples through the fabric of my bra and I lose it.
I just fucking lose it.
“Oh God…Lawson! Lawson…” My voice is higher, more frantic than I’ve ever heard it, and he just keeps murmuring those dirty words against my skin.
“Come for me, Indy. I need to feel you all over my hand. God, you’re so fucking beautiful. Do you know that? And as soon as you come, I’m taking you inside so I can taste every single drop of you on my tongue.”
Damn. Damn. His words. “I can’t.”
His voice, quiet but with the commanding tone that only Lawson can obey, punctuates his thumb as it presses against my clit.
“Now.”
I come apart in his hands, my orgasm lifting me high as his mouth covers mine to catch my scream.
After a moment of breathing against his neck, I feel my limbs relax and Lawson eases his hand out of my pants. He adjusts my clothes, pulling my shirt back into place just before he kisses my mouth again, this time with sweetness and promise.
“Let’s go upstairs,” he whispers.
I can’t do anything but nod and let him lead me.
When we reach the landing upstairs, I pause outside our door as Lawson unlocks it. When he looks back at me, I’m glancing at Frannie’s front door.
“What?” Lawson follows my gaze with a quirked brow.
Chewing on my bottom lip, I whisper, “I told Frannie I’d go have a glass of wine with her when we got back.” Pulling my phone out of my back pocket, I check the time. Quarter to nine. “I wonder if it’s too late.”
Lawson opens the front door and grins. “Only one way to find out.” He kisses my cheek and leans against the doorjamb, the expression on his face urging me on.
“You don’t mind?” My voice lifts, a small part of me hoping he’ll object. But he doesn’t fall for it.
“I’ll be here when you get back. I’m going to check in with Jacob and the NES team, tell them what we found out today and see when we can set a meeting with the task force.” He relays those words in a low tone.
“I won’t be long, if they need anything from me.”
He waves a hand. “Go.” When I turn and raise a fist to rap on Frannie’s door, there’s a sharp pat on my ass that has me whirling to face Lawson again.
His grin is cocky. Bastard. I point a finger at him, eyes narrowed, just as Frannie pulls open her front door.
Her smile is wide and welcoming. “Hey, GoGo! Come on in.”
With one last look at my now-closed front door, I follow her inside.
“So how was work tonight?” Frannie tucks her bare feet underneath her on her red couch, glass of white wine in hand.
I sip from my own glass, contemplating how to answer her. “It was good. We got a lot done.”
Her face lights up, like she’s really happy I had a good night at work. Jesus. Who is this woman?
“That’s great. I’m glad someone was productive tonight. I was so happy to have the night off work, but I didn’t do any of the things I should have done. I just sat here and read a book.”
I glance around her neat ap
artment. It’s very similar to ours, but where ours is more cleans lines and contemporary furnishings, hers is very traditional in décor. Her furniture is comfortable but tasteful, and she has a lot of warm tones in her woods. There are fresh flowers in a vase on her island and in the center of her small dining table, and the walls are painted a light mocha. A large, floral-printed rug, trendy and in style but still reminiscent of a throwback from decades ago takes up most of the space on the living room floor.
“I really like your place.” I let myself sink back into the couch cushions, crossing my legs in front of me.
She grins, her dimples displayed in her cheeks. “Thanks. Decorating it has been a slow process, but I like how it’s turned out.”
I incline my head toward her, curiosity taking over. “So, what’s it like? Being a nurse? What department do you work in?”
Her smile fades but doesn’t leave her completely. “I always knew I wanted to be one, so I can’t picture myself doing anything else. It’s not an easy job, but I like going to work knowing that I’m going to really help at least one person that night. You know?”
I know. More than she could understand, I know how that feels. So I just nod.
“And I work in the ER. Wilmington isn’t a huge city, but it’s big enough that our ER sees some doozies every single night. I like it because there’s not really any standing around. Time passes quickly because we’re always busy.”
I evaluate her. It’s not what I expected. “I assumed you’d be a pediatric nurse, or labor and delivery.”
Her delicate nose wrinkles as she shakes her head. “When I did my peds rotation back in nursing school, I cried myself to sleep every night. And I’m liable to try and knock some sense into some of these people who have babies and shouldn’t. Neither of those would be a good place for me.”
“Yeah. I’ve wondered more than once why some people are given the gift of children they don’t deserve, and some couples who’d give a kid a great life struggle to even get pregnant. Doesn’t seem fair.”
There’s a distance to my words that alerts Frannie to the fact that I’m not speaking offhandedly. She studies me, her expression softening and becoming more shrewd at the same time. “I wonder the same damn thing.”
We’re quiet for a few moments, but like the silences I endure with Lawson, it’s not uncomfortable. We’re both musing over what we’ve said, and I think we’ve both sunken into our own thoughts for the time being.
Frannie perks up again, her eyes dancing. “Logan seems like a great guy. Does he have any brothers?”
Without thinking, I smirk. “Oh, yeah. Lots of them.”
Her eyes go wide, and I shake my head. “No, not really. I mean he has a lot of friends that are just like him.”
“Oh.” She giggles, waving a hand. “Like the man I met the other night…His name was Thorn, right?”
“Right. There’s a whole group of them just like that.”
Interest flickers in Frannie’s eyes, and I get it. Thorn is gorgeous, just like all of the Night Eagle men. I give her a crooked grin. “Maybe we can have a meet-up sometime soon so you can get to know Thorn.”
Frannie shrugs. “If you want. No pressure, though.”
She’s quiet for another moment, taking a sip from her glass. “I haven’t been in a place where dating is a good idea for quite a while. Actually, I’ve turned down every guy who’s asked me out since I’ve moved here.”
I watch as she twists a lock of thick blond hair around her finger. “Yeah? Well, I’m the same. Before Logan, I didn’t date at all. Ever. I was completely turned off to the idea. But then he came into my life and changed that.”
Frannie smiles, a wistful thing that’s there right before it’s gone. “I don’t think that’s going to happen for me.”
I sit up straighter. “Why not?”
She sighs, glancing away. “I’ve been burned in the past, and I’m kind of a wanderer. I don’t even know how long I’ll stay in Wilmington. I like it here, but…” She shrugs.
“So how do you like living in the Carolinas compared to Oklahoma? Is it really different?”
Frannie keeps her eyes on her wineglass as she swirls the liquid inside. Her entire mood darkens, the usual sunny light she’s filled with flickering out like an extinguished flame. “Definitely different. I’m glad to be here.”
There’s something in her voice, something I heard the first time I met her when she told us where she was from. Frannie doesn’t like talking about back home, and I can relate.
“Look, I had a rough upbringing. I don’t know if you can relate or not, but I also don’t willingly volunteer a lot of information about my past.” The words are tumbling out of my mouth before I can stop them or think better of it.
Frannie looks up at me, surprise littering her expression.
“And,” I continue, “I won’t ever pry into your personal business. But if there’s ever anything you need to talk about or get off your chest, I’m here. I mean, I can listen. Or whatever.”
An offhand shrug is my attempt to keep things casual after my word vomit, but Frannie’s voice is tender when she responds. “I knew you were a kindred spirit when I met you, girl.”
After that, it’s like some kind of barrier that we were both keeping solidly between us cracks, and by the time I stand up to return to my own apartment half an hour later, it’s completely obliterated. The laughing and exchange of stories between us is effortless. She tells me what it’s like growing up in a neighborhood where everyone’s lawns are perfectly manicured and each three-story brick home is kept perfectly by a maid. And I tell her what it’s like when you don’t have to sneak out of your house after midnight because no one really cares if you’re home or not anyway.
She says something after that, something that made an actual chill crawl down my spine.
“You know what the difference is, between your neighborhood and mine? In your neighborhood, the darkness lives out loud. Everyone knows it’s there, and there’s no hiding it. You just have to figure out how to fight what you can see coming at you. But in mine? The darkness hides in the light. You can’t fight what you can’t see coming.”
I’m still thinking about her words when I walk back into my apartment and directly into Lawson’s arms.
What kind of darkness hides in Frannie’s sunshine?
22
LAWSON
Two nights later, Indigo and I sit in my car. She’s fidgeting, glancing in the side mirror to check behind us every few seconds.
“You’re sure no one followed us?” There’s an edge to Indigo’s voice that doesn’t come from fear, but from experience.
I glance at her, then grab her hand and squeeze. “This ain’t my first rodeo, baby.”
Her expression goes soft at the nickname, and it makes my lips quirk. Fuck. If it makes her look at me like that, I’ll call her by nicknames all day long.
She sighs, leaning her head back against the seat. “I know. I know that, I do. It’s just…we’re so close to ending this. I don’t want to fuck this up.”
“We won’t. I’ve been checking the mirrors, been circling and weaving. We don’t have a tail.”
She nods, but she’s twitchy. It’s late, but the task force decided we need to have a meeting tonight. I’m driving down a tree-lined street in the shopping district, and then turn right onto a side street. The black Suburban is exactly where it’s supposed to be, but I drive past it and park at the curb a block down.
Indigo and I step out of my car and navigate the sidewalk, backtracking to where the Suburban is parked. Pulling open the back passenger door, I take another glance down the dark, quiet street. At this time of night, there’s no one around, and there are no houses or apartments here where curious eyes might spot us.
As soon as I settle into the captain’s chair in the middle row, five pairs of eyes land on me. Jacob Owen glances at me in the rearview mirror while Indigo’s boss, Russ, turns from the front seat. A hand lands on my shoulder,
and I glance behind me to see Ben and Thorn sitting in the third row. Bain is squeezed between them, a laptop balancing on his knees.
Damn, it’s good to see my team. I didn’t realize I’ve missed checking in with them, training with them every day, and just the general friendship that’s been absent from my life since I’ve been undercover. When I glance at Indigo, sitting straight-backed in the seat beside me, I know I’ve gained something important when it comes to her, but it’s still nice to see my brothers.
“Sleuth.” Jacob’s gruff voice is level, but he doesn’t hide that he’s glad to see me just like the rest of my team. “Nice to see you. Why don’t you and Indigo brief us?”
“Hey, baby girl.” Russ offers her an easy smile, which she returns. I haven’t seen Indigo and this man interact since the first time the task force met, but it’s now so obvious they have a father–daughter type of relationship. Happiness that she has someone like him in her life after all she’s been through spikes through me.
I recap in detail exactly what we learned last night during the exchange in Hawke’s garage. Each member of the team listens carefully, intent on every word I say.
“And they plan to drop the cars at the docks tomorrow night. The buyer will meet them there, have the cars shipped overseas. And according to the plan, everyone goes home a little bit richer.”
Indigo breaks in. “I don’t trust Eli, though. It’s not like Lawson and I are actually in this for the money. But if we were, we’d be fucked. There’s no way Eli’s not playing dirty.”
I nod. “It’s true. He’s a snake, even for a criminal.”
Ben whistles low under his breath. “And you two have been working with him for the past month. You sure you kept him in the dark?”
Indigo doesn’t hesitate. “As far as Eli is concerned, Lawson and I are just a couple of thieves who want our cut. Not big fish, but not to be messed with either. Until he screws us out of our money, of course.”
“Any idea on what he’s planning as far as you two are concerned?” Jacob finally turns to scrutinize us both.