by D. L. O'Neal
Gabriel's gaze gradually became focused. "I did find something very interesting about that quasi-official report, however," he told her, obviously thinking the matter through even as he spoke.
"What's that?"
"Whoever wrote it must have been present when Woa interrogated me that last time."
Kalesia stared at him. "Why do you say that? We already know he has access to your files. He could have gotten the information from them again this time."
"No, he couldn't. Not this time. I didn't describe all that was done to me. And nothing I did to Woa and the man I thought of as Straps was in any report. When they debriefed me, I deliberately made no mention of my actions. On top of that, I know for a fact that no other teams were sent in to confirm the kills. The mission was a one shot deal. Politically, it was too hot to attempt again. That means whoever wrote this," he flicked a corner of the first sheet of paper, "was either there and hid or he had reason to go back. Unofficially. Let's go find Sam. I have some work for him before Pompano receives that call."
"WELL?"
"I haven't been able to get close to the woman."
"I'll find someone else to do the job."
"No! Wait!" Pompano wiped his hand over his mouth. "Tomorrow afternoon. I'll have a chance tomorrow afternoon. I heard Harley talk about bringing Steele in for questioning. Since he found out about that other stuff, he's beginning to wonder if Steele knows more about Crump's murder than he's saying. He should be here several hours. I can get to her then."
"Do so. Convince her that it is in her best interest to leave Steele."
"Not a problem. I even have the perfect place for her to go. I'm taking care of a friend's house while he's gone. It's next to the National Forest and isolated. Steele will never find her there."
"It had better not be a problem. I expect results."
"You'll get them." Pompano cleared his throat. "Uh, about my payment...?"
"Don't worry." There was a smile in the other man's voice. "I'll see that you get payment in full. I'll call again tomorrow for details." There was a click and the dial tone sounded.
Pompano hung up the phone and turned, his hands shaking. "You haven't forgotten our deal, have you?"
"No, I haven't forgotten our deal," Harley said, distaste in his voice. He glanced over his shoulder at Deputy Parker. "Put him back in the cell and watch him. I don't want anything happening to him."
Harley waited until Pompano was out of hearing distance. "And so it begins. Now who gets to break the news to Gabe?"
"THE HELL you will!" Gabriel roared.
"Be reasonable, Gabriel," Kalesia tried, already knowing he was going to be difficult. "At least hear Wolf and Sam out."
"I'm listening." He crossed his arms and shifted on the arm of the chair so he could glare down at her.
"Pompano received the call an hour ago. We've got to convince this guy that Kalesia has actually moved out if we hope to catch him. He's a smart bastard," Wolf admitted grudgingly.
"You couldn't complete the trace." It was a statement.
"For all we know he could be one mile or one hundred miles from here." A muscle ticked in Sam's jaw. It was easy to see that he was furious over the fact they'd failed.
"Damn it all to hell," Gabriel swore, straightening, switching his glare to the tall dark man across from Kalesia.
"As I said, he's smart. He's not going to come out of the shadows if Kalesia doesn't actually leave your protection."
"You don't know that for sure." Gabriel's face was stone hard.
"Are you willing to chance Kalesia's life that I'm not?" Wolf asked quietly.
Gabriel swore again, long and low. "Isn't that what you're asking me to do?"
"Gabriel, don't! You know they wouldn't risk my life." Kalesia reached up and brushed rich loam off his cheek. He'd been working in the greenhouse when Sam and Wolf returned from the sheriff's office. "They're your friends. What's more, they're also my friends. Gabriel," she began earnestly, "he's been maneuvering to get me to leave. If I don't, he'll just go even deeper underground, then we'll never know when he'll surface to strike. You can't protect me twenty-four hours a day for the rest of my life. We have to do this."
"No."
"What if another deputy is on the take?" Sam's quiet question drew Gabriel's wrath.
"Harley isn't checking?" Gabriel asked with a dangerous softness.
"You know he is. In a situation like this, though, by the time he finds out, it might be too late. I understand your anger. Hell, man, I'd feel the same way if it was my woman involved, but we are not your enemies."
Kalesia touched Gabriel's back in a silent plea. "Listen to them. This might be our only chance to catch him."
His eyes were hard. "No. You," he leaned over Kalesia menacingly, caging her between two steel arms, "are out of your pea-sized brain if you think I'm going to let you go out there on your own. This isn't some kind of game. This guy plays for keeps. He's already killed a professional hit man. I absolutely refuse to let you set yourself up as bait."
Waves of quivering outrage and implacable denial washed over Kalesia from the infuriated man. The grey eyes were no longer a polished silver mirror, but molten with white-hot fury. They singed her as Gabriel brought his face close to hers.
"I know it's not a game. However, we won't get another opportunity like this one," she told him reasonably, keeping her tone reasonable with considerable effort. It wouldn't help to get in a shouting match.
"No."
Her temper slipped a little. "What do you mean `no'?"
"I mean, no. No, you will not leave this house. No, you will not stay at an isolated cabin by yourself, I don't care how secure it's supposed to be. No, you will not be setting yourself up as an unprotected target," Gabriel gritted, his voice as dark as midnight and as soft as gravel.
Kalesia drew a deep breath. One of them had to remain calm. His anger was coming from fear for her safety, she had to remember that. But he had to understand it was her decision. She couldn't live her life looking over her shoulder, waiting for a bullet from an unseen marksman. "I won't be unprotected. The way Wolf explained it, men will be hidden around the property and a base will be set up nearby. One way or the other, someone will know my movements at all times. Besides, it's not your choice to make." Kalesia stared, fascinated, as the hollow of his throat pulsed with the force of his fury.
"Wanna bet?" His hand snaked out and captured her chin. The rough texture of his fingers threatened, promised pain if she struggled. Kalesia didn't move as she stared into his eyes.
"I could crush you with very little effort. If I decided to tie you to my bed, there wouldn't be a damn thing you could do to stop me. You're not strong enough." His fingers tightened, just the slightest fraction of pressure more.
Kalesia met the threat in him squarely. "But you won't, will you?" she stated with absolute assurance.
Gabriel tried to stare her down. Didn't she understand that no matter how close an eye they kept on the place, there were no guarantees? It would tear him apart if she were injured, but if she were to get killed, he'd go crazy. Not just insane, but gut-wrenching, soul-tearing crazy. It'd be a pain worse than any he suffered while in Vietnam.
"I won't let you be hurt!" he snarled, recognizing defeat and bitterly furious about it. An unfamiliar anguish knifed through him, twisting his mouth.
Her hand curved about his and the lagoon-green eyes were as warm as a summer afternoon. "I know you won't."
Where the hell did she get her belief in him? He exhaled heavily. "I'm going to regret this."
"No, you won't, because I'm going to be fine."
Gabriel released her chin and extended his hand, palm up. He waited.
There was a question in her eyes. She stared at his hand and then back at his face. He didn't say anything, just held his hand out.
Kalesia put her hand in his.
Relief coursed through him. He closed his fingers tightly about hers. Such a small hand, he thought in amaz
ed wonder, to hold his happiness. And it was a hand that wouldn't falter.
Kalesia believed in honor. Not many did anymore, but Gabriel hadn't the slightest doubt she would never betray him. He trusted her with his honor and with his life.
Gabriel spoke over his shoulder without turning his head. "Tell Harley I want to go over the plan, in detail, tomorrow morning." He pulled Kalesia up by his side, and turned to face Wolf. "This cabin had better be as secure as you say."
"It is. I designed the security system myself."
KALESIA WATCHED Gabriel as he got ready for bed. "Gabriel?" she tried tentatively. He'd been brooding all day. "I'll be fine, you know."
Gabriel lifted the covers and slid into bed. He gathered her close. "God, Kalesia. I don't know what I'd do if I lost you." There was a raw savagery in his voice.
"You won't lose me." She hugged him tight. "As Deputy Parker would put it, I'll stick tighter to you than a tick on a wet hound dog," she said, trying to lighten his mood.
Gabriel gave a reluctant laugh. "That tight, huh?"
"Uh huh. You'll have to peel me off if you want to get rid of me." They were quiet for a moment, holding each other and savoring the closeness. "You know, Gabriel, I doubt this means anything, but in the last vision of my death, I recall the flash of gold on the killer's hand. A ring. I got the impression of an intricate design, but couldn't really make it out," she said, forestalling the inevitable question. To her surprise, Gabriel stiffened.
"Okay, tell me what's wrong. What did I say?"
He didn't answer her immediately. Getting up, he crossed the room, yanking viciously at the cord until the drapes were wide-open. Leaning his forehead against the glass, she could see him struggled to find words. The muscles bunch beneath the sleek shoulders. His fist opened and closed slowly, one finger at a time. Finally, he lifted his head, but stared out at the night.
"Do you know," he mused, "the first time I remember seeing it was on a night much like tonight--hot, humid but with a slight breeze to make it bearable. It's amazing how quickly a man learns to appreciate simple pleasures. The cooling relief of rain after a day spent baking in the sun, a slight breeze as it dries the sweat on your body. The absence of pain..." he whispered almost inaudibly.
"I had gone through the usual bull, them telling me of my crimes against the people and trying to extract a written confession and apology in return for release, and me resisting. It was a psychological game. I was still sore from the last beating, but not too bad. They had left me alone for an entire day to reflect on my sins. I wasn't too worried when they came for me again. Figured it was going to be another bull session." His hand clenched in a tight fist on the glass. Kalesia's throat ached and a sharp pain ripped through her stomach. She thought she had an idea of what was coming next--torture.
He laughed harshly. "Talk about being wrong! I was cocky, sure I could stand whatever they cared to dish out. I was still a hardass, I guess. After all, hadn't I survived all they had thrown at me without breaking? They took me to the Teacher's hut. Teacher was my nickname for Woa because he carried a swagger stick and used it to point at things, the way a teacher does. They manacled my wrists behind my back. I was wary because this wasn't part of the normal routine, but not yet afraid. Talk about stupid! I was a total jackass."
"It was dark inside. I heard the door to the hooch open. They slammed me to the floor. I tasted blood as my lip split. Things wavered for a moment as my head impacted with the floor. From the corner of my eye, I caught the flash of gold as a hand waved. One guard had his knee dug into my back. I could barely catch my breath from his weight. Then the other guard began tightening the manacles. They were the old-fashioned kind that screwed shut. You know the kind that doesn't stop for a little matter like flesh? They don't stop until they hit bone."
"Using nylon strips from a parachute, they began lacing my arms together, from wrist to elbow. I was lucky," he reflected, too caught up to notice Kalesia's sick horror at the story unfolding. It was so much worse than she had expected.
"I've seen men's arms dislocated and the bones separated from their sternums with that little trick. That's when I discovered I wasn't Superman. I screamed and sobbed like a baby."
"It's a misconception that a person always passes out when pain becomes too intense. I would have given my balls to be able to pass out. I prayed for it. Then I prayed to die." Gabriel shrugged. "I lived. I also stayed conscious. I never heard the man with the ring speak but, dimly, I understood that the Teacher was asking questions at his direction. The entire time I was captured, the worse sessions were when he was present." Gabriel's hand flexed convulsively on the glass, then he dropped it to his side. "Not that Woa wasn't creative on his own."
"I'm so sorry," Kalesia whispered, horrified. She hadn't meant to rake up old memories.
He turned. "You have nothing to be sorry for, sweetheart. It's simply an old enemy coming back to haunt me." Moving until he was standing next to the bed, he reached out one hand and tentatively smoothed a strand of hair from her face. "Actually, I should be the one to apologize. I shouldn't burden you with old history." Aching need replaced the bitterness of past memories on his face. He placed one knee on the mattress.
"Don't," she pleaded, her insides tightening at the sensual promise in the grey eyes. Dear God, how she wanted him. "Don't hide things from me. I want you to share what hurts you. I'm stronger than I look."
He studied her. "Yes, you are. Much stronger. Oh, God," he muttered darkly, burying his hands in her hair, "give me some of your strength tonight, sweet witch. You have no idea how much I need it." His mouth came down on hers urgently.
She responded with every fiber of her being to the naked power and need, unable to do anything else. She was dazed by the force of his passion. He was coiled and leashed as tightly as a tiger. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she pulled him down on top of her.
One big palm skimmed up her thigh under her nightgown. Kalesia arched uncontrollably at the caress. She nipped his shoulder in passionate demand. She was already burning. Tonight she couldn't stand a slow, deliberate seduction. She wanted him now.
Gabriel felt the same. Impatiently, he tugged at the hem of the gown. Kalesia lifted her hips, eagerly cooperating. The nightgown disappeared. Her hands went immediately to his back, caressing and relearning the taut line of his spine. He shuddered when her hands wandered below the small of his back. Dark words of encouragement escaped his lips.
"That's it, sweet witch. I want to feel your hands all over me tonight. Touch me, Kalesia. Harder," he demanded. His hips flexed powerfully when she sank gilded nails with delicate force in the sensitized skin of his inner thigh.
"Yes, oh yes, sweetheart," Gabriel muttered, raking the edge of his teeth across her nipple. Kalesia moaned, wrapping long legs around his hips. His mouth found hers, his tongue setting up a rhythm that older was than time. Tension spiraled to an almost painful pitch.
She tore her mouth away from his and demanded, "Now, Gabriel. Now."
"Tell me you love me, Kalesia. I need the words." Gabriel gritted against the scented skin of her throat. He was being unfair, he realized dimly, demanding words of love when he couldn't offer them in return. But the urge to hear his witch whisper her love in that broken, husky tone that signaled she was spiraling out of control, was overwhelming. His hand sought and found the damp warmth between her thighs.
"I love you, Gabriel," Kalesia breathed, her voice catching in the back of her throat, the soft sound igniting a white hot flame in him.
"Again. Tell me again. I want to hear you say it." Gabriel was learning he was a greedy man. He needed to hear her words of love again and again. It was fast becoming an obsession to hear those words.
"I love you. I'll always love you, Gabriel," she choked out on a rising crescendo.
Unable to wait any longer, Gabriel joined them with one powerful thrust. Restraining Kalesia's provocative movements, he breathed deeply until the urge to explode subsided to a manageable level.
Gabriel began to rhythmically stroke the humid warmth of her feminine core. Kalesia moved with him. He drank the soft moans from her lips, the sound urging him on to stronger, swifter strokes. Nearing the edge, Gabriel reached between them, finding the small nubbin of feminine pleasure. Kalesia arched violently. As the first of the small, gentle convulsions tightened her inner muscles around his shaft, Gabriel gave a guttural groan and thrust forcefully. He collapsed, shattered but whole, on top of her.
"Gabriel?" Kalesia murmured long minutes later.
"Hmm?" he answered, too drained to lift his head.
Kalesia kissed the side of his neck tenderly. "I'm glad you didn't."
Making a supreme effort, Gabriel raised his head from the pillow. "Glad I didn't what?" His breathing was slowly returning to normal. God, he felt great, able to conquer entire worlds singlehandedly. Loving Kalesia always gave him that feeling of supreme contentment. When she stretched sensually beneath him, he became excruciatingly reminded that they were still joined. Maybe he wasn't as tired as he first thought.
"Give up your balls."
Gabriel gave a great shout of startled laughter. Hugging her tight, he rolled over until Kalesia was draped over him. "Lady, will you never cease to amaze me? To think I was afraid Badger would corrupt you." He shook his head, still shaking with laughter.
"You're the only one I want to corrupt me. Gabriel?" Kalesia propped her chin up on crossed arms.
"I'm afraid to ask what," he confessed dryly, amusement still lurking with a renewal of passion.
"We ought to check, you know."
"Check what?" Gabriel watched as Kalesia licked her lips in a seductive manner. His loins stirred in response. In the soft light of the lamp with her long hair passionately tangled, Kalesia looked like a sensual wood sprite. Especially since her eyes were twinkling mischievously. Gabriel braced himself.