She shook her head and made her way into her large closet. Time to put Talon and everything else but her assignment out of her mind. She needed to meet with Sean and Daniel. She had an appointment with Sam this afternoon. She needed to follow up with Talon and find out what his meeting with Tre was all about. It was going to be a busy day and that’s what she needed to focus on. And yet her mind continued to wander.
Had he really defied the king to come for her? Had he really wanted to awaken her by sliding inside her? Her womb clenched and her nipples tightened at the thought. She shook her head and cursed her own weakness where Talon was concerned. If she didn’t get a handle on her feelings for him she would lose more than her heart. And damn it, she couldn’t allow that to happen.
* * * * *
Talon stood stoically and silently until he heard the click of Chloe’s door closing. “I know your game, Killian. You think you can drive her away from me so easily?” He laughed sardonically but kept his voice low so Chloe couldn’t overhear. “You’re pathetic, you know that?”
Killian bristled and took a step forward then a slow smile spread across his lips. “She’s not quite as easy for you to manipulate as my niece, is she fucker?”
Talon shook his head, remembering the single encounter with Killian’s niece, Reagan. Her reputation was well known and she was indiscriminant when it came to bedding any Coteri warrior, but Killian had always refused to see that side of her.
Years ago, Talon had just learned of Chloe’s departure to the States and one night in his weakened, inebriated state, he had taken what Reagan had offered. The act had left him empty, cold, and disgusted. Reagan kept up her pursuit for months until he finally had no other choice but to use harsh, cruel words to get her to back the hell off. Reagan simply turned her attention to the next warrior in a very long line of conquests.
“We both know the truth about that situation,” Talon paused. “And we both know no one is as easy as your niece.” Talon hoped the innuendo was clear.
Killian’s hard fist slammed into Talon’s jaw, making it obvious the innuendo wasn’t missed. Talon took the blow. Saw it coming and allowed it to happen. Turning his gaze back to Killian he simply smiled. “Feel better, General? That was your one free shot. Next time I’ll hit back.”
Killian took a step back, fists clenched, his rage evident. “Stay the fuck away from Chloe and this investigation, Talon, or I swear I’ll send you back to Roderick in pieces. And trust me, after my discussion with him earlier I don’t think he’d mind in the slightest.”
Killian stormed to the front door and slammed it closed behind him. Once he was gone, Talon rubbed his aching jaw as he moved to the front door to reset the alarm. Glancing out the window, he saw Killian back his Hummer out of the driveway and onto the road. “Just try and stop me, fucker.”
Chapter Twenty
Thirty minutes after Killian left, Talon sensed her before he even saw her descending the stairs. Her scent was ingrained in him now and he hadn’t had enough of her last night. Not nearly enough. He watched as Chloe gracefully glided down the stairs, wearing a black, slim skirt and a blue silk blouse. Killer black pumps encased her tiny feet and he instantly felt his cock harden behind his zipper. He felt feral, primal, and it took all his control not to take her to the floor right there.
“Damn, woman,” he crooned as she stepped off the last step. “You expect me to let you out of the house looking like that?”
She laughed as she sauntered past him, hips swaying seductively as she moved to the kitchen to retrieve her bag. “I expect you to let me do my job, Talon. I’m late as it is.” She looked over her shoulder at him with a grin that stopped his heart. “I assume you’re going with me today to the clinic?”
His balls tightened at that little grin but he held up her keys and dangled them in front of her. “You had any doubts?”
She shook her head. “Let’s go then. I’m meeting with Sean in thirty minutes.”
And just like that, ice water flooded his veins. Another fucking male.
* * * * *
Chloe gave cheerful “good mornings” to the staff as she walked through the clinic, Talon following closely. She opened the door to her office to find Daniel and Sean, both pacing. They stopped abruptly at her entrance and leveled steady glares in Talon’s direction.
“What?” she asked, apprehension creeping up her spine.
Daniel took a deep breath and slowly walked toward her, taking her elbow and leading her to the couch. “You need to sit down, Chlo.”
She followed, gripped by unease. She took a seat beside Daniel and folded her hands in her lap. “Okay, I’m sitting. Now tell me what the hell is going on, Danny,” she said calmly, hoping her voice didn’t give away the nerves she was feeling.
Daniel cast a quick glance at Sean before he produced a large manila folder and handed it to her. “You’re not going to like this. Shit, I’m ready to go hunting for blood, but we need to keep our heads together on this.” He paused and looked toward Talon before bringing his hazel gaze back to hers. “Go ahead, take a look.”
Chloe opened the folder to find several eight and a half by eleven inch papers. The first was a note, similar to the ones that had been left for her before.
Soon, my pet. Soon you’ll know what it feels like to have a real man between your legs.
Chloe schooled her reactions even though her stomach churned in fear and disgust.
She flipped through the other papers quickly, her pulse rate increasing with each new page. They were all photos—photos that had obviously been copied onto printer paper. Photos of her and Sean on her porch kissing. Photos of her and Talon, last night. Photos of them on the deck and in her bedroom. She flipped to the last page and inhaled, clasping a hand over her mouth. Oh god, oh god. Her stomach dropped. The photo was of Talon standing naked beside the bed, his head thrown back on his shoulders as he filled her mouth. Her gaze darted to Talon who immediately came to her side.
“What, Chloe? Let me see,” he said quietly as he clasped a large hand around the back of her neck and gently kneaded her tight muscles.
Without saying a word she handed him the pages. He released her and sifted through the note and the photos, nostrils flaring, fists clenching the papers harder as he paged through each one. When he got to the last one, the papers crushed in his large fists and his growl of fury startled even her. “What the fuck?” he shouted.
Chloe took a deep breath and gathered her thoughts as she rose from the couch. She had to stay calm. “Okay Daniel, you need to send the guys over to the house and upgrade the exterior surveillance. It’s obvious these photos were taken with a high powered lens, probably from across the bay since the perimeter alarms weren’t tripped.”
Daniel straightened the crumpled papers and placed them back in the folder. “Already on it, Chlo. This type of breach won’t happen again. It’s an easy enough fix,” he stated simply. “But the bigger question I have is how in the hell did this folder end up in your secured office on your desk?” He cast an accusing glance at Sean.
Chloe inhaled and quickly met Sean’s gaze. “What? These were in my office?”
Sean nodded as he stepped toward her and clasped her hands. “I came in early for our meeting and let myself in. I found the folder on the center of your desk. Daniel joined me soon after and I immediately showed him what I found.” He paused and ran his hands up her arms.
Out of nowhere, Talon stepped in between them and shoved Sean back hard enough that he fell into the wall. “Keep your fucking hands to yourself, Doc,” Talon snarled.
Sean immediately came forward to stand toe-to-toe with Talon. “What the fuck is your problem, man?” he shouted.
Daniel took that moment to step forward and intervene. He grabbed Sean by the shirt collar and pulled him close. “The problem is, Doctor, you’ve got a leak in your clinic. Someone had access to the building, to Chloe’s office. Someone who knows what’s happening here and who is involved enough to plant thi
s folder.” He lifted Sean even closer. “Now would be a good time for full disclosure…Doctor.”
Sean’s eyes blazed with fury as he grasped Daniel’s wrists, easily tearing away from his grip and stepped back. Chloe knew Daniel’s look of surprise at the action mirrored her own.
“I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about. I trust my staff. None of them would be involved in anything like this.” He paced to the other side of the small office. “Look, I told you I would help in any way I can, but I can’t believe someone on my staff would be involved in any of this. It doesn’t make sense. Couldn’t someone have broken in here during the night and planted this shit?” He turned beseeching eyes on Chloe.
“It’s possible, Sean,” Chloe conceded. “Let’s just all calm down a bit and think this through rationally, okay?”
“Who else was here when you arrived today, Doc?” Talon asked coldly.
Sean ran his hands through his hair and sighed. “I told you, I came in early. I was the first one here.”
Talon was in full interrogation mode now. “And who was the last person here last night?”
Sean stiffened and crossed his arms over his chest. “I was. I had a late meeting with a new investor who wanted more information about supporting our clinic. We met here with an acquaintance of mine from Seattle and didn’t leave until around eleven.”
Talon took a step forward. “And what is the name of this new donor and your Seattle friend, Doctor?”
“None of your fucking business,” Sean bit out. “They never left my sight when they were here and we left the building together. They aren’t involved in this shit.”
Talon’s voice deepened. “Why were you in Chloe’s office when she wasn’t here? There are no markings on this folder so what made you go through the things on her desk to find this?”
Chloe could literally feel the tension pulsating between the two men.
Sean narrowed his eyes and took an aggressive step toward Talon. “Fuck you. I know where you’re trying to go with this but you can go to hell. I don’t have to explain myself to you.”
He started for the door but Daniel stepped into his path. “Actually, Doc, you do. Now answer the question.”
Sean took a deep breath as he slid his hands into the pockets of his lab coat and turned to face Chloe. His gaze was intense and his light-blue eyes filled with fury as he took a step toward her. He sighed and closed his eyes. When he opened them again the fury was gone but the intensity remained.
“I arrived early because I wanted to catch up on the mountain of paperwork I’m behind on. I let myself into your office only minutes before our scheduled meeting. I thought it would be nice if I started you a pot of coffee and if you notice,” he motioned toward the mini bar area in the far corner of the office which indeed showed a fresh pot of coffee, “the coffee is done.”
He took another step toward her, his gaze never leaving hers. “The folder on your desk looked out of place. I know how meticulous you are about filing and securing your private reports so I picked it up and took a quick look to make sure it wasn’t something that shouldn’t have been left out in the open. When Daniel arrived, I immediately turned it over to him.”
He turned his head to look back toward Daniel and Talon. “Satisfied? Any more questions?”
Talon simply stared back in silence. But she noted his head tilted slightly to the side as if studying the other man.
Daniel moved next to Sean and laid a heavy hand on his shoulder. “See, Doc. That wasn’t so tough, was it?”
Chloe could tell Sean was furious at having to explain himself. She reached out and put her hand on his forearm. “Thank you, Sean.”
He covered her hand with his own but only for a moment, which was probably a good thing since Talon was already moving to her side. “I’ve got work to do. I’ll be in my office if you need anything.”
Sean left her office, closing the door behind him. Chloe looked between Daniel and Talon, who both stood rigid. “Was that really necessary?” she asked with some annoyance. “You can’t possibly think Sean is involved in any of this, right?”
Daniel moved to the coffee pot and poured a cup before taking a seat on the sofa. He shrugged. “I don’t know but it’s not out of the realm of possibilities. Someone had access to this building and your office. This clinic is somehow connected to several of the recent victims in the area. I still have a lot of unanswered questions where the good doctor is concerned. And until we get the results back on his blood work, I’m staying open to all possibilities.”
Daniel picked up the folder from the table and slapped it back down. “And what in the hell is the point to all this shit? Why the psychological games and scare tactics? And why the hell aren’t you scared shitless over this, Chloe?”
Chloe moved to one of the side chairs beside the couch and sat. She picked up the folder but didn’t open it. “I don’t have the luxury of being scared, Daniel. Look, Luca is trying to scare me and to ultimately distract us,” she stated with certainty. “Distract us from the real issue and the reason I’m here, which is to find their location and shut their operation down…permanently.”
She returned the folder to the table then met Daniel’s stare. “I don’t scare easily, Daniel, and I won’t be distracted from what I was sent here to do. We need to meet with the team and review everything we have so far and decide our next move.”
She stood and moved to get her own cup of coffee before taking a seat behind her desk. “I’m meeting with Sam this afternoon. Her memories of her previous attack are slowly resurfacing and I’m hoping she can give us more information that will help. With any luck she’s remembered even more information from her Seattle abduction.”
Talon moved behind her chair and placed his hands on her shoulders, giving a light squeeze before addressing Daniel. “Daniel, I want you to get everything you can on Samantha’s first attack—police reports, attending physician and hospital documents, current address, everything. Bring it to the house when we meet tonight.”
Chloe looked at him questioningly. “What are you thinking, Talon?”
“Just humor me on this one,” he said as he gave her shoulders another gentle squeeze.
Daniel rose from the couch, tucking the manila folder under his arm. “I’m on it. You here with her for the day?”
Talon nodded.
“All right then. I’m out. I’ll see you both tonight at the house.”
* * * * *
A light mist was coming down and gray, bulbous clouds hung low over the Olympics. Chloe was lost in thought as she stared out the passenger side window on the drive home. Sam hadn’t shown for her appointment and wasn’t returning any of Chloe’s calls or texts. She hadn’t seen Sean since he’d left her office earlier that morning. And Talon had refused to leave her side all day which meant she hadn’t had even a moment alone to try to untangle the chaos of her emotions where he was concerned.
And those photos. When she thought of someone watching and snapping pictures of the most intimate experience of her life…she shuddered, trying desperately to bank the fear that was threatening to reach the surface. Daniel and Sean had seen them. But she couldn’t think about that now or she’d surely die of embarrassment. She had to stay strong. She had to focus and prove she was capable of handling this. All of this.
Talon was stoical once again, remaining silent on the drive home. She turned her head and gazed at his strong profile. “Talon,” she began hesitantly. “Tell me why you’re really here. Why did you go against Roderick’s orders to remain in Germany?”
She saw his jaw clench before he turned those deep-blue eyes on her. He stared at her with an intensity that made her heart flutter and her womb contract in need. He remained quiet for so long, she didn’t think he was going to answer.
“I told you last night. I had to make sure you were safe,” he replied in a deep, clipped tone.
So they were back to square one. She shook her head in frustration and turned her he
ad to once again look out the side window. “Right. You defied a direct order from the king over something you could have eventually confirmed over the phone?” She sighed wearily, her heart breaking a little more with the understanding that there could never be anything real between them. “Whatever, Talon. Forget I asked.”
Without warning he jerked the steering wheel and pulled the car over to the side of the road. Throwing the car into park he turned to her and cupped a large hand at the back of her neck, pulling her close. “I’m telling you, Chloe. I’m dangling on the edge of control here. Knowing Luca has targeted you, knowing you’re in danger and refuse to leave, knowing Daniel, Luca, and that fucking doctor got to see every beautiful inch of your flesh in those damn photos…” He paused and took a deep breath. “We’ll talk about the rest later tonight after meeting with the team but know this, Chloe. I had to come here. I had to make sure you were safe. There was no choice for me.”
She stared into deep-blue eyes that were a mixture of rage and heat. He bent his head to hers and kissed her with a ferocity and hunger like she’d never known. He pulled back slightly, the blue of his irises piercing. “I can’t stay away from you anymore. And especially after last night, I won’t stay away from you anymore. You’re mine, Chloe,” he growled, then took her lips again in a hard, quick kiss. “Mine.”
He set her back and carefully merged the car back onto the road. Chloe sat in stunned silence, not knowing what to say. So many questions swam through her mind, so many doubts. Could she really believe him? Would he feel the same once the danger was gone or when he’d gotten his fill of her and she was no longer a challenge? Her head was spinning so she decided her best course of action at the moment was to just keep her mouth shut.
God I need you, Mina! Her mind reached out to her best friend, needing her guidance more than ever, but knowing that door was closed forever. She was on her own and that meant figuring out the mystery of Talon all by herself. Great.
Infinite Surrender: 2 (Blood Feud) Page 21