“Sorry, Dr. Rick. I got carried away. I still haven’t made love to my new wife.”
“As soon as we check you out, you can get back to that. Right now, I need you to release her and get out of those tattered clothes.” Stacey stepped out of Hugh’s embrace. He kept her hand clasped in his.
“Sure. Give me a second here.” Hugh kissed her knuckles before reaching for the sterling silver buttons on his shirt.
§
Hugh couldn’t take his eyes off Stacey. He’d thought he’d never see her again. She devoured him with her gaze, something bright and potent in her eyes. She wanted him and he wanted her, the sooner the better. He struggled to remove the ruined shirt. She quickly took over, pushing the sleeves from his arms. She nudged the fabric away from him letting it rest on the bed.
She reached for the buttons on his leather pants, but he stilled her busy fingers.
“If you don’t stop, I’m pretty sure Dr. Rick is going to get an eyeful. I can do it.”
Hugh rose from the bed and finished the job, pushing the leather pants down his legs. He stepped out of his boots and pants. Then peeled off his socks. Stacey ran her fingers over his shoulder and then down to his hip.
“All of the scaring is gone. I can’t believe it.”
Hugh cupped her cheek. “You healed me, sweetheart. You and the healing potions, Isanti gave me. You healed my body to what it was before the shooting that made me retire. Isanti’s healing potions didn’t do that. You did.”
“I don’t even know how I did it, but I’m so glad you’re okay.”
“I am so much more than okay and as soon as the doctor is done with me, I’m going to show you how much.”
§
Stacey hurried down the hall to Hugh’s apartment. She trembled with need. He fumbled with the key and then the door opened and he pulled her inside. Unable to wait a moment more, she reached for the scrubs they’d lent him in the clinic after the doctor finished examining him.
Slipping her hands underneath the cotton shirt, she caressed his chest. He grabbed it and ripped the top off over his head.
“Stacey,” he hissed. “You’re driving me crazy.”
Her hands moved down to his pants pushing them off his hips. He stepped out of his boots and let the pants fall to the floor. She rubbed her face against his chest. His skin smelled of fir trees and musk. She began to kiss each ridge.
Hugh opened her silk shirt and pushed the blouse off her shoulders. Stacey let her arms fall backwards so the garment would slip off.
“Hurry! I want you inside me.” Stacey needed this more than she needed to breathe.
If he didn’t hurry, she would climb him and take what she wanted. She continued to kiss and nip at his pecks and neck as he undid the buttons of her leather pants. She toed off her boots. Hugh pushed the pants to the floor.
He paused as he knelt looking up at her, warming her with his gaze. Then he grabbed her hips and buried his face between her legs. The first lick of his tongue made her shudder. She cried out and grabbed onto his head. Her knees went weak and she wasn’t sure she could remain standing.
He licked at her clit. Tonguing the little bundle of nerves to drive her wild, but she was already wild. She tugged at his hair trying to get him to move up. He refused to budge and ran his hands down her legs and pulled them apart before lifting one over his shoulder. Her body began to tremble. She lost the ability to think, swimming in the pleasure of his lovemaking.
“Hugh…” Stacey called out a warning. She would fall.
Hugh slipped from under her leg and rose, scooping her up in his arms. He carried her into the bedroom and followed her onto the bed.
She reached for him pulling him closer. He kissed her, while his hands massaged her breasts. Stacey moaned into his mouth. Hugh kissed her jaw and nibbled her ear. She ran her hands from his shoulders, down his back using her nails to add to the sensation. In another moment, she would combust. She couldn’t wait.
“Hugh. Inside me. Now.”
Hugh chuckled. “As you wish.” The reference to one of their favorite movies wasn’t lost on her, but all thought fled when he slammed into her.
God he was huge. He filled her completely. Her insides burned and pulsed around him. Stacey pushed up her hips to take him deeper. Why wasn’t he moving?
“Look at me, tehila. I want to see your eyes, wife.”
Stacey blinked her eyes open, drowning in the heated dark chocolate color of his eyes. He leaned forward and kissed her on the nose.
“I love you. Always.”
“I love you too,” Stacey whispered.
Hugh’s tender expression changed to something hard and fierce. He began to piston his hips. Pushing deep and then pulling back. Over and over, he filled her.
Stacey kept her eyes locked to his and couldn’t help a small smile. She loved it when Hugh let his inner warrior out.
He lifted her hips, driving deeper. Stacey felt fire lick her insides. Her body trembled. It felt so damn good. A wave of desire rose inside her. She moaned.
“God, Hugh. I’m close, so close.”
“Come for me, baby. Give yourself to me.”
As if his words released a floodgate, pleasure so intense she could barely breathe washed over her. Her back bent as she cried out. Lights burst behind her eyes.
Hugh yelled her name and jerked inside her. Warmth filled her. Stacey fell, her body limp. He lowered his body to cover hers completely before taking her mouth in a tender kiss. She ran her fingers down his cheek wanting to express how much he meant to her even as her eyes fluttered closed.
“When I piloted the plane to the Atlantic, I promised myself if I survived, I’d grab you and disappear. Take you someplace safe and make the life we want without worries of Zenith.”
Stacey wrapped her arms around him, holding him tightly. Hugh wanted a life free of danger and she was afraid that wasn’t possible being married to her. There would always be the chance someone could figure out who she was and come after her and her family. She sighed, her heart aching.
“Hugh… I’m sorry. You have to understand we will always be on guard. Our life will never be normal.” She wished with all her soul she could give him a measure of peace.
He chuckled. “Normal is highly overrated. I want you safe. I know we can’t disappear, but we can pull back. Build the house in Montana. Try and stay under the radar.” She saw the determination in his gaze and truth be told, she wanted him safe, too.
“Okay.” A look of confusion crossed his face.
“Okay? You’ll give up being an operative?” Hugh pulled back.
“I will if you will.”
Hugh looked incredulous.
“What? I want what you want. A house and family. Is that so hard to believe?” Stacey smiled, trying hard not to laugh at her husband.
“You’re Stinger, world renowned assassin.”
“Not anymore. Now I’m Mrs. Hugh Thunder Hoof.”
Hugh took her mouth. His kiss possessive and filled with tenderness. Stacey wrapped her arms around his neck, holding him close. This man was hers. She loved him more than she could say.
The phone ringing made Hugh frown and shift off her. He answered and Stacey could hear a male voice on the line. She couldn’t make out what was said and Hugh didn’t make much of a reply.
“What is it?” Stacey asked when he hung up.
“Your sister and the rest of your family are leaving. Dasan is going with them.”
“What? She’s leaving without even saying goodbye?”
“Left. They used magic and ported.”
“Nadezhda didn’t say anything? Leave me a note?”
“She’s going back to work with Star Fire to take down Zenith. Raven is afraid that includes assassinating your father.”
Chapter Seventeen
There’s nothing like an imminent assassination to kill the mood. Hugh watched Stacey pace in Raven’s office. He leaned against the wall, his arms crossed over his chest. She’d in
sisted they stop “lying around in bed” and figure out what to do about Nadezhda. Right after she’d promised to leave this life behind.
Hugh really couldn’t blame her. Stacey’s sister killing their dad wasn’t right. Unfortunately, her father pulled Stacey back into this mess. Hugh would never let his wife face danger alone, so whatever the mission, he would be part of it.
“I have to warn him.” Stacey paused in front of Raven’s desk.
Raven sighed and ran a hand through his hair. The general befriended him when he was in college with Stacey’s brother. He was fond of the old man.
“The last time you called the general, we were attacked. Until we know which side he is aligned with, I don’t think we can risk it. I sent Grey Wolf to spy on him at the Pentagon. We need to wait for his report. Knox has given us a list of Zenith operatives, but he doesn’t know anyone at the top except his handler.”
“I can’t understand why Nadezhda is doing this.”
“Your sister is part of a worldwide task force fighting Zenith. I’ve heard rumors through the intelligence community. I’m surprised she didn’t try to recruit the two of you. A computer specialist and an assassin would be an added bonus to her team.”
“She probably already has members who fill those slots. Dasan and his Shadow Walking skills was all she wanted.” Stacey hung her head.
Hugh moved to her side and pulled her into his arms. He hated to see her looking so dejected. “Dasan would never agree to kill your father without concrete evidence that he is America’s enemy. As Nadezhda’s mate, he might actually temper her need to take action against the general. General Holland is her father too.”
“Stacey, did you and your father ever set up a secret way to communicate? One off the books. Kept between just the two of you.” Raven asked.
Stacey’s head jerked up. “Yes. We had some key phrases if we talked on the phone. Dad worried one of us might go black, limiting contact, so he set up an email account. Dammit, I should have thought to check it, but we’ve never used it before. I need a computer.”
“Here. Use mine.” Raven stepped back from his desk.
Stacey hurried around the side with Hugh behind her. Her fingers flew over the keyboard.
“CartoonQueen?” Hugh asked, looking over her shoulder at her username.
“I loved to watch the Saturday morning cartoon shows on television when I was a kid. Dad used to tease me by calling me the cartoon queen. That was before Mom died.”
Hugh ran his hand down her back at the sound of sorrow in her voice.
“There are actually a few messages here.” Stacey pulled up the chair and sat.
She opened the first one and skimmed quickly through before moving down the list.
“He’s infiltrating Zenith to find out who the major players are here in America. He names the Vice-President as a member and his way inside.”
Stacey continued skimming the emails, opening one right after the other.
“Dad is meeting with Vice-President Linden tomorrow night. There is a party at his official residence and Dad was included on the guest list. No one would question it since my father has supposedly been friends with Darren Linden since before he took office. I wonder when Dad realized the Vice-President worked for Zenith. Anyway, since it’s an official function it would be easy for Nadezhda to find out and target him. We have to stop her.”
“Does your father say anything about what Zenith is up to?” Raven asked.
“He mentions the stock markets in New York City, but only vaguely. Most of his messages are very brief and in one he assumes I’m reading them after his death.” Stacey looked up at Hugh. It was easy to see the sorrow in her eyes.
“He doesn’t expect to come out of this alive.” Hugh made it a statement.
“He writes that Zenith killed my mother when he first refused their advances. He never expected them to target his family. That’s why he hid me away and estranged himself from David.” Stacey kept reading. “Oh, he’s writing about Nadezhda. He knew about her. He says it was too dangerous to send for her. He encourages me to find her and apologize to her and David. Hugh, he tried to protect us.”
Tears gathered in her eyes and Hugh brushed them off her cheek.
“We’ll stop your sister. The general can apologize in person. I want to check if Dasan still has his Shadow Walker issued cell phone. It has a tracking chip and we may be able to find them if he didn’t disable it. Before we do that, you need to eat.”
“I am hungry. Wait. This is strange. It says ‘birthday present’ in the subject line. My father never celebrated my birthday after my mom died.”
Hugh looked over her shoulder and read the short note telling Stacey her father left her a gift in her favorite spot.
“Where is your favorite spot?” Hugh asked.
“The cabin where you found me.”
“I think someone from Zenith hacked this account. They blew up the cabin to stop you from finding whatever information your father left you. Dammit!” Hugh walked across the room. They couldn’t seem to catch a break in this case.
“Not necessarily.” Stacey rose and brushed the tears from her face.
“What do you mean?”
“My favorite place at the cabin was actually the boathouse. I used to go down there all the time and play. My father would often have to come find me.”
“So your father might have left you information at the boathouse?”
“We’ll have to look.”
Hugh reached for her hand and pulled her toward the door. They would save the general, get the information, and then he and Stacey were out of it.
“Let me know what’s going on. I have to tell you, it’s a relief to know the general is still on our side.” Raven smiled. “I wonder if that’s why he recruited the Shadow Walkers to work for him, to counteract Zenith.” Raven returned to his chair. “Oh, Joe read Knox’s mind and is positive he didn’t send you into a trap to retrieve his daughter. We’re still looking for her. Knox gave us a few safe houses his wife might use.”
“Okay, Chief. Let us know when Grey Wolf reports in and what you find out about the girl. We might need Robert’s help to stop Nadezhda and Star Fire.”
Raven nodded as they hurried from the room.
§
“If we go to retrieve this information, we’ll have to make our way back using surface transportation. Shadow would destroy whatever device your father used to store the information.” Hugh ran his hand through his hair. Stacey felt the information was important, but what about her father’s life? “Dasan has probably destroyed his cell phone. I’m not getting any kind of signal. So we have no way to know where he is. Pass the chips, please.”
Stacey passed the bag and Hugh took a bite of his sandwich. He was starving. They’d missed lunch while working and it was now almost time for dinner. Raven called them to his office to report before he left for the day. After finding out they hadn’t eaten, he ordered food from the cafeteria.
“Isanti has a plane at its disposal right? There’s a small airport right here.” Stacey pointed at the map laid out on the desk. “My father used to land there when flying up from the Pentagon. It’s only ten miles from where the cabin was located. Have your pilot leave now and he can meet us. He should probably fly us directly to Washington DC after we get the information. Can Katherine do her mojo and have formal attire waiting for us when we get to D.C.?”
“You think we’ll have time to get back and still attend the party?” Hugh asked.
“It won’t take me long to find whatever my father left and we still have Robert keeping an eye on Dad. He can always pull Dad into Shadow if my sister tries anything before we get to the party.”
Hugh looked at Raven. He nodded and reached for the phone.
“I’ll alert the pilot and have Katherine work on the clothes,” Raven said. “I’ll also arrange for a car. You’ll need to get to the party. That’s a nine-hour flight from New Mexico to the Adirondacks. You might as well wa
it here and Shadow Walk in closer to the plane’s arrival time. Hugh can keep looking for Dasan. As soon as you find the information and you’re safely onboard the plane, send us a copy of what your father left you, Stacey. I want to make sure we don’t lose the data.” Raven sighed. “I won’t tell you two to be careful, but I will say, come back in one piece. You’ve been getting close to the edge. I don’t want to lose either one of you.”
“No worries, Chief. It’s us…” Hugh smiled and winked.
Raven shook his head. “That’s what I’m concerned about.”
§
“Hugh, what’s bothering you?” Stacey could tell from the way his jaw clenched something was wrong. Was Hugh afraid to go back into Shadow after being lost? They lay in bed after making love. Stacey felt nicely relaxed and cuddled up against Hugh’s chest, but she could hear the gears working in his brain. They’d enjoyed a romantic dinner for two in the apartment before falling into bed. About an hour remained before they needed to Shadow Walk to the remnants of the cabin.
“It’s Dasan. He’s one of the most careful men I know. He was in charge of security at our Seattle facility. He researches everything. I can’t believe he would help your sister assassinate the general. It doesn’t add up.”
“Maybe love is clouding his judgment. I know I had a hard time staying focused on our missions when you and I first worked together. I crushed on you so hard, it was difficult to breathe.”
“As flattered as I am to hear you say that, we both know you always stayed focused on the job. No, I think Dasan is doing his research. He’s going to figure out that your father is trying to infiltrate Zenith.” He ran his fingers down her back. Stacey shivered.
“Maybe, but we can’t take the chance that Dasan doesn’t, and my dad gets killed.” Stacey kissed his chest.
“I agree. I think we need to be cautious. Something more could be going on and we don’t have all the facts.” Hugh pulled her tighter and kissed the top of her head.
Trapped In Shadow (Shadow Walker Romance Series Book 4) Page 16