For her?
“I’ll be available to do whatever is needed. I plan on working late,” he stated again.
Elizabeth was surprised and opted to take it for what it was worth. If Agent Blaise was on the happy pills, who was she to complain?
Once back in the morgue, Callen went there. “What the hell was that?”
“Got me,” Ethan said. “Be glad.”
“I always get worried when the attitude fairy comes for an unsolicited adjustment. It’s never good.”
They stared at her.
“You need a nap.”
“Yeah, no freaking kidding.”
* * * B l a c k h a w k - W h i t e f o x * * *
Saturday Night
Beta Phi Ti
Brody paced his room like a caged tiger. Everything he’d ever learned in the FBI academy was rushing back as his gut screamed in warning.
He not only felt off, but the energy around him was wrong. Something bad was brewing, and he didn't doubt that he was in some serious shit.
Only, he didn't know where it was coming from.
As he stopped in front of the mirror to look at his reflection, he was pretty sure he was working himself into a tizzy for no reason.
Johanna was safe at the dorm, and in an hour, he’d have to figure out how to seduce a college girl—not into his bed—but into getting the hell out of his room without saying anything to his ‘watchers’.
Johanna told him how to do it, and if his mother was still alive, she’d slap the shit out of him for even considering it. Granted, telling a drunken girl that she was fat when she got naked would likely get him slapped anyway.
Yeah, he was screwed.
It was a lose-lose situation.
What he really wanted to do was call Joey, making sure she was all right. If he could just hear her voice, then the worries would melt away.
As he stared in the mirror, something over his shoulder caught his attention. There was a face peering in his window.
It freaked him out.
That was until he turned to find his girl trying to get in.
Quickly, he opened it, pulling her into the safety of his room. “Are you insane?” he hissed, knowing that if she got caught there, not only were they screwed, the Blackhawks would go ape shit all over them. Ethan had warned them, and she wasn’t listening.
“I had to come see you,” she said, rushing toward the door to lock it. “I’m going to look around and toss the rooms,” she said, pulling the com from her pocket. Once it was in her ear, it would link her to Jason, but before she even tried to access them, she needed to see him.
“Joey,” he said, knowing that was risky. When she went back into his arms, her mouth seeking his, Brody had to admit that he’d gotten just what he wanted. Here she was, and his fear was abating.
Maybe she would be safer in the house. After she was done, Joey could hide out until he could help her escape.
When her lips found his, he allowed himself to fall into the kiss. It was hot, wet, and making his brain melt.
“Sweetheart,” he muttered, even as her mouth didn't stop pillaging his.
“I need you, Brody. Make love to me.”
How could he say no to that?
He’d been thinking about her and here she was. It was an omen, and he was going to take that time to be with her.
There was less than an hour until he had to do something he wasn’t looking forward to, so why not have some pleasure first.
He began wildly pulling at her all black attire, trying desperately to set her free. When her sweater was tugged up, he found some sexy bra beneath. It was lacy and racy, and it made Brody want to drop to his knees to worship her.
“The cat burglar of my dreams,” he muttered, his lips caressing her collarbones as he longed to dip between her breasts and lower.
She moaned softly, trying not to come completely undone. Maybe it was the adrenaline, or the simple need for him, but Joey was wild with lust.
“Hurry,” she urged, tugging at his clothing.
When he slid his hand down the front of her black pants, she had to lean against him.
“Oh, Christ, Joey,” he whispered, knowing that he wanted nothing more than to devour her. The wetness slicked his fingers, and he was officially in heaven.
She kicked off her boots and pulled him down to the bed. His larger body covered hers, pinning her beneath him to the mattress.
“You have to be quiet,” he urged, moving down her body to the vee between her legs. Tugging her panties aside, he allowed himself the decadence of feasting on the woman he loved.
She shook as his tongue lapped, teased, and brought her right to the edge. As she broke apart, he quickly climbed back up her body to seal his mouth to hers.
He swallowed her release.
When she floated to the surface, her eyes opening, Johanna stared deep into his. “Take me,” she begged. “I need you.”
The feeling was mutual.
If anything, he had to have her.
Standing, Brody stripped out of his clothes, freeing his erection. Before he could cover her again, Johanna sat up to take him in her mouth.
It was like a repeat performance, and he loved every second of it.
It was warm.
Hot.
Slickery.
When his hand found its way into the back of her hair, Johanna let him use it to direct the depth of her mouth. As he controlled the oral assault, they both fell into the pleasure of it all. She loved offering him all she had, and Brody was more than happy to accept her precious gift.
When he got close to the edge, he needed desperately for her to stop, but Johanna showed no signs of letting up. “Please,” he whispered, the desperation in his voice. While he wanted to keep going, he knew he was so close to losing it.
As she added her hand, he shook.
“Sweetheart,” he hissed, his body betraying him. Her mouth was just too much for him to deny.
She bound him in knots just to unravel him to the depths of his soul.
As he exploded, Johanna stared up at him. The mask of pleasure on his face called to her. The second he was free from her mouth, Joey pulled him down to her body.
“Now make love to me. Slow, gentle, and like you always do,” she whispered in his ear.
He still wanted her.
Brody always would.
Finding her wet and warm, he slid home. Their joining sent shivers down his spine, right to his toes. “Oh, Joey,” he whispered, beginning the slow glide in and out of the delicious heat.
When he braced himself over her, they stared into each other’s eyes. As his body took hers, their hearts wove together even more.
There was no doubt that he was madly in love with her, and she with him.
They were soul mates.
“I’ll love you forever,” she promised, as she shook at his gentle invasion. “You’re all that matters to me.”
He took his time, knowing that Joey needed that soft touch to show how precious she was to him. She’d suffered so much in her life, and now he never wanted her to hurt again.
“I love you, sweetheart. You’re the only woman I’ll ever want in my life. I’m finally at peace.”
They kissed, making a vow. As the heat rose, their breathy gasps filled the room.
Brody was close, and he couldn’t wait to fill her as they fell. Here was his heart.
His one.
His only.
“Johanna!” he hissed, as she tightened down around him, pulling Brody with her off into the abyss.
It was the most amazing feeling in the entire world.
This was what it felt like to be complete.
All those weeks mourning her leaving, and now he didn't ever have to be alone again. Now he would have her to himself.
This was his Joey.
As they both caught their breaths, neither moved. Her legs held him to her, until he finally lifted his head.
“You need to be safe tonight. I have t
his really bad feeling in my gut.”
She had it too.
Only, it wasn’t about her.
It was about him.
“I’ll do it quickly, and then get back in here. Lose the other woman fast, or she’s going to get hurt. If I have to see her touching you, someone’s going home with a few broken bones.”
He laughed, leaving a gentle kiss on the tip of her nose. “Why, Johanna Madden, are you jealous?” he teased.
She didn't even hesitate.
Why bother?
It was part of the reason she’d showed up there early. She didn't want to share the best thing in her life now that they’d made that commitment to each other.
“Yes, I am. If I wasn’t, then you should be worried.”
He grinned that wicked boyish smile of his.
It was the one she fell in love with.
“I think I can manage to keep my hands to myself. After all, you just wore me the hell out.”
She winked. “Oh, did I? That’s such a crazy plan. Who would ever try something like that?”
He rested his head on her shoulder. “You’re trouble.”
Yeah, she was well aware, but so was he.
Chapter Fourteen
Saturday Night
Brody couldn’t believe that he was out trolling for babes while his girl was upstairs playing cat burglar. It was all just too crazy.
As he moved around the party, he saw Arman, Sutton, and the rest of the goon squad heading down into the basement. When the door closed, he wondered if he should intervene. If there was a girl down there, she had to be in trouble.
Then he thought about his girl upstairs. If she didn't get her ass out of those rooms, she was the one who was going to be in trouble, and from the Blackhawks.
Their cover would be blown.
So, he made the choice to stay down there in the party as he checked out the women. As long as they were locked away in the basement, he didn't have to play Casanova to some innocent sorority girl.
As he turned around, he could have sworn he saw Nels Lucas moving around the crowded room. As he repositioned himself, he couldn’t find him again.
He was being silly.
The man would be at Arman’s side.
He wouldn’t be wandering the party.
Then it hit him.
If they wanted to watch him, of course someone would be trying to sneak around. It worried him. Not because of the girl, but because if they were spying on him, that meant they suspected something.
Shit!
It was possible his cover was blown.
Brody looked around, desperately trying to find Nels as he avoided the occasional ass grabs from the sorority sisters. Only ninety minutes into the party, and they were already drunk.
This didn't bode well for any of them.
For a brief moment, he wondered if he should call his bosses and give them the heads up, but then he thought about Joey.
She was upstairs and in danger.
He had to spend the next hours searching for Nels. While the others were behind locked doors, they wouldn’t be the issue. Now, Brody had to contend with something so frightening.
His gut had been right.
* * * B l a c k h a w k - W h i t e f o x * * *
She quietly went from room to room, making sure not to leave any trace that she’d been there.
In Garrick Tran’s personal space, she found nothing. The man was a total nerd, and the poster with the periodic chart was proof enough. If he was hiding drugs for Arman, he wasn’t doing it in his room.
He was simply a brother trying to be inducted into a sick fraternity.
Joey soon realized that much was the same for Sutton Lucas. As she snuck silently into his room, making sure no one was following her, she found the mother lode all right—of condoms.
Holy hell!
By the look of it, the boy liked to fornicate.
What grossed her out even more was that she honestly contemplated stealing one for a DNA match.
Then common sense kicked in.
The Blackhawks would have her head on a silver pike for showing up at the lab with any DNA swiped from the room. It was bad enough she was ignoring Ethan Blackhawk’s orders.
Why push it?
Creeping down the hall, she bypassed a few people making out. They were oblivious to her being there, and that was probably a good thing. They’d never notice she was even there.
Once inside Hervey Westly’s room, she heard her partner in her ear. He was doing his check in, and honestly, she was glad. It helped reassure her that she wasn’t alone. What Johanna would have preferred was if it was Brody as her life line.
She trusted him with her life.
Jason…yeah, not so much.
“I’m good. No one’s around,” she replied, when he asked how it was going.
“I’m not reading your trace. Turn it on,” stated Jason Blaise as he sat back in his hotel room with the recording equipment monitoring his partner.
She did as he asked, and then began rifling through Hervey’s drawers. When she found a few bottles of Xanax, she knew she hit pay dirt.
“Jason, I have pills. It looks like I found where the supply is coming from,” she stated.
Reading off the pharmacy, and the customer names, she waited for her partner to tell her that he had them. While she couldn’t take them, the team could research which of the five men were taking meds.
It was a loophole, but she’d take it.
“Awesome work, Johanna. We’re going to break this wide open,” he stated. “You and me, kid. It’s going to be our shiny gold star.”
She didn't care. The only reason she was there was because of Brody. There was danger, and she couldn’t leave him in this alone.
“Just keep your ears on me. The hairs on the back of my neck are standing up.”
“Chill. I have you. Nothing is going to happen to you. Stop freaking out.”
She put everything away where it belonged before heading for Arman’s room. Instead of heading out into the hallway, she went out and onto the ledge. It was a little more secure as she worked her way along the house, trying not to look down.
If she didn't die, it would be a miracle.
Joey really thought she’d been an idiot for doing this. There was no doubt in her mind they were going to get fired.
Poor Brody.
She was taking him down with her, and he loved her enough that he wouldn’t even say a word.
As she stood outside Arman’s window, she thought about backing out and heading back to Brody’s room. Worse came to worse, she could pretend she’d come to see him.
Then she could help him scare away the sorority girl he was likely luring up there.
No.
She had to finish.
Johanna had already violated civilian’s rights, why not finish it up? It was too late to go back.
As she lifted the window, she moved into the bedroom. With the light filtering in from behind her, she could see that Arman liked to keep the place clean.
Again, like Sutton, there were tons of condoms, and it spoke to how much sex they were getting.
She couldn’t wait to get out of there.
Then she felt him.
As Johanna went to turn, someone was on her. She fell backward to the bed, a large figure pressing her into the mattress.
As she fought to save herself, a forearm was pressed against her throat.
The room spun.
“If you wanted into our rooms, you should have just asked,” Nels hissed, pressing firmly on her throat.
Johanna struggled for breath. “Help!” she hissed, hoping her com was picking everything up.
“We have a date with the rest of the boys,” he said, watching her eyes roll back into her head. “They’ll decide what to do with you, bitch. I promise it won’t be fun. Well, not for you!”
With that, Johanna felt the gray swallowing her. Her heart thudded so loud, that was all she could hear.
Fear took over.
And she blacked out.
* * * B l a c k h a w k - W h i t e f o x * * *
One Hour Later
Brody searched for Nels, but he couldn’t find him lost in the crowd. That worried him until he returned back to the main room, only to find that the basement door was wide open.
They were done.
Shit!
He had to figure out a way to get to Joey and warn her. He checked to make sure that they weren’t watching him, and he made his move. Creeping up the stairs, he went from room to room, knocking on the door.
He figured if need be, he could make up some excuse about how he wasn’t feeling well and heading to bed.
Only, he couldn’t find them.
Brody also couldn’t locate Johanna.
She wasn’t in any of the men’s rooms. At that point, he had to pray she was hiding in his closet.
Maybe he’d get lucky.
Ignoring the couples making out against the walls of the hallway, he pushed into his room and closed the door.
Softly, he called for her.
When she didn't answer, his heart began pounding in his chest.
What he wanted to do was call her.
If something happened to Johanna, he was screwed.
Then the house went silent.
The music stopped, and he could hear people heading down the stairs.
Something wasn’t right.
Had the cops raided the place?
Was the FBI stopping the party?
Brody thought about all the possibilities.
Taking a deep breath, he decided to head downstairs to find out what was going on.
Hopefully, he would get some answers.
If not, he was going to freak the hell out.
* * * B l a c k h a w k - W h i t e f o x * * *
He watched from the shadows. The party appeared to be letting out.
That pissed him off.
He was supposed to grab that one girl, and now he wouldn’t be able to.
Pledging to Die (An FBI/Romance Thriller Book 11) Page 35