Moving Target

by Desiree Holt

  “I’m fine, Jake. Really. But thanks for the concern.”

  “You’ve come a long way with her in a very, very short time. You sure you know what you’re doing?”

  “Absolutely. And this time I don’t intend to lose what I’ve got. Once in my life is enough.”

  “Okay, then. I’ve said my piece. I hope this works out.”

  The men shook hands, and Quinn went back inside.

  Kate was standing on the back porch, watching the moon. He moved up behind her and laid his hands gently on her shoulders.

  She leaned into him. “I’m frightened, Quinn. They found my car. They traced back my Internet searches. And I’m about to walk into strange territory with men I know nothing about.”

  “I’m right here with you, darlin’, and we’re going to keep it under control. I’m going to make sure of that. We’ll take all the precautions we need to. And I’ll be right beside you.” He slid his arms around her, pulling her tight against him.

  I’m not going to lose another woman. I’ll do whatever it takes to prevent that.

  She turned and locked her hands behind his back, pressing her cheek to his chest. “Do you realize last week we hadn’t even met? Now I feel as if we’ve known each other forever.”

  “Me, too,” he answered softly. He kissed the top of her head, inhaling her scent. “We’ve lived a lifetime in a few days.” His mouth moved to the side of her neck. “I know it’s late, and we’ve got a big day tomorrow, but God, Kate. I just have to be inside you. I need to feel you around me.”

  “I need that, too,” she told him.

  He swept her up in his arms. “Don’t forget what I promised you for tonight.”

  “Oh, yes. I remember all right. I’m not letting you forget.”

  Quinn lifted her in his arms and carried her to the bedroom. He set her on her feet by the bed and began removing her clothing with as much control as he could muster. There was an urgency between them tonight that was different. More intense. More emotional. Tonight, they needed…everything.

  The sight of her naked body made his cock thicken even more and his balls ache. He had never craved a woman this way, not even Lisa. Tonight, he would not allow himself to feel guilty over that. Tonight, it was all about the two of them, Kate and Quinn.

  He ran his hands over her body, memorizing each curve and dip and swell. She was delicate yet strong, her breasts more than filling his palms, the curve of her ass so tempting he pulled her to him and ran his hands over them, tracing them. He swept the tips of his fingers the length of her spine, then down into that hot cleft between the cheeks of her ass.

  “One of these nights I’m going to take you here,” he breathed, pressing his fingertips to her opening. “If you let me.”

  She shivered beneath his touch but nodded mutely.

  “But tonight you still have too many clothes on,” she pointed out. “I want to see every inch of you, too.”

  He stripped and tossed his clothes to the side, her gaze on him the entire time. When he was stark naked, he reached for her, but she surprised him. Taking a step back, she dropped to her knees and wrapped the fingers of one hand around his cock. He sucked in his breath at her touch, his blood pounding in his veins.

  He watched her as she slid her fingers up and down his thick shaft, hoping he had enough control to let her do what she wanted. He sensed this was not a common thing for her. Something she’d done rarely, if ever, and the emotion of it smacked him right in his heart. He called on every bit of his discipline to stand there while she stroked him.

  Tightening her fingers on him, she slid the other hand between his thighs, cupping his balls and giving them a gentle squeeze.

  Jesus!

  She continued to glide her hand up and down his shaft, playing with his balls and driving him so crazy he was afraid he’d explode. Then she did the unexpected and took him into her mouth. He nearly detonated.

  “Uh, Kate.” His brain was so fogged he didn’t know where he found words to speak. “You, uh, might want to be careful there.”

  She jerked her head back, scraping her teeth on his cock, and looked up at him with a worried expression on her face.

  “Am I doing it wrong? I didn’t know—I’ve never—”

  Damn. He was right. She’d never done this before, and that only made him hotter.

  “You’re doing it just fine, darlin’.” He swallowed. Hard. “But you’re taking me close to the edge here, and I want to be inside you when I come.”

  “Oh.” She licked her lips, the sight almost putting him over the edge right then and there. “Should I stop?”

  “Not yet.” He’d hold on as long as he could.

  She closed her fingers around him again and swiped her tongue over the dark head, once, twice, again. She was sliding her hand up and down again when she dipped the tip of her tongue into the slit to lick the drop of fluid there, and that was it for him.

  “I’d love to let you keep on, but I need to be inside you right now.” Would he ever get to a point with her where he didn’t have this acute need to sheath himself in the warmth of her sex?

  In seconds, he had her on the bed on her back, legs spread and knees bent. He moved over her, positioning his hips between her widespread thighs and bending her knees to give himself greater access. His breath caught at the glisten of moisture on the lips of her sex, and he couldn’t help himself. He had to take one taste.

  “Ohhhhh.” The sound whispered from her as he ran his tongue the length of her slit and back again. He wanted to spend hours just licking her and tasting her, playing with her clit and sliding his fingers in and out of her waiting channel. Maybe one of these nights he’d have enough control to do it.

  But not tonight. No, not tonight. Tonight he was again like a man possessed. He placed the head of his cock at her opening, and with one swift stroke, he plunged inside her.

  “Okay?” He breathed, watching her face.

  Kate nodded.

  “Here we go.” He moved his hips, setting up the familiar rhythm. He wanted—demanded—the steady strokes that would tip them past the flashpoint.

  And then it was there, an orgasm of such gigantic proportions he wasn’t sure he’d live through it. Every muscle convulsed, her inner walls clenched and unclenched around him. Liquid poured from her, bathing him. On and on, he drove her, his thick shaft stretching her.

  She reached one plane, gasping, and with a roll of his hips, he carried her with him to the next level. They were both struggling for air, his heart threatening to pound itself out of his chest. And finally, when he’d taken her over the edge twice, he carried her with him one more time as he allowed his own release.

  Quinn collapsed forward, catching himself on his forearms, struggling for breath, sweat gluing their skin together. It could have been minutes, an hour, a week. He had no idea how much time had passed until he roused himself and slid carefully from her body. He rolled to the side, taking her with him, watching her closely.

  “You okay?” He brushed her damp chestnut curls back from her cheeks. Her hazel eyes had tiny flecks of gold in them as she studied his face. “Everything okay?”

  She huffed a little laugh, “Are you kidding? More than.”

  He stroked her cheek, and his rough silk lips pressed kisses to her ear.

  “You’re mine now,” he rasped. “Mine. Do not forget it.”

  “Yours,” she agreed.

  “I will protect you and take care of you. Count on it.” He drew in a lungful of air. “We’ll get past this and then take a look at the rest of our lives. Okay, darlin’?”

  She nodded, nestling into his strength and was asleep almost before she closed her eyes.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Quinn’s phone rang at seven-thirty in the morning, but it wasn’t Jake’s voice on the other end.

  “All right, we’ll do it your way, Quinn, but don’t fuck with me and pull some last minute stunt.” Kane Barton’s voice boomed across the connection. “I’ll c
ome out and arrest both of you myself.”

  “Nice to hear from you, too, Kane.” Quinn worked to keep the anger from his voice. That big man himself had made the call was an indication of the seriousness of the situation.

  “Jake was in my office first thing this morning pleading your case, with Dean assuring me this is the right way to go.”

  “If you don’t want a dead woman on your hands, it is.” Quinn bit off his words. “I expect Jake explained everything to you?”

  “Yes. And you can be sure it’s only our personal relationship that’s got me to agree with this. Otherwise, I’d have Jake out there with a warrant and two armed guards.”

  “I’m glad to hear we still have a personal relationship.” Quinn’s voice was tinged with irony, remembering the last time they’d seen each other. When he’d delivered the cartel members—dumped them at his feet—their parting had been anything but cordial

  There was a brief pause. “I have a lot of respect for you, Quinn, and I’d like to think, even after all this time, we’re still friends. I understand your concerns, and I certainly don’t want to endanger anyone’s life. But I have to have that flash drive, and Jake says she’ll only give it up to me.”

  “If you do it the way we asked,” Quinn agreed.

  “I see nothing wrong with that, although I’m losing a day when our techs could already be working on it.” His heavy sigh was audible. “And what the hell is this about people in my office being paid off?”

  “I’m just telling you what Kate heard,” he said, repeating Peter’s words, “but it’s definitely the kind of thing they do. And very carefully, so there’s no trace back to them.”

  “Now, wait a minute,” Kane began.

  “I’m not pointing fingers, just passing along information. But as delicate as this whole thing is, it wouldn’t hurt for everyone to take a look at their staff and see if someone seems a little hinky.”

  “I’d hate to think I’ve got a virus on my staff, but you’re right. I can’t afford not to check. All right then. Let’s go over the details of your little road trip.”

  “We’ll do it tonight, like I said, when almost everyone’s gone. We can drive directly into the garage and take your private elevator up to your floor. Kate’s scared to death about coming into town, but she agrees that this gives her the maximum safety possible.”

  Kane was silent for a moment. “Fine. And I’ll be sure to pick my own security people. What time?”

  “Seven o’clock. And Kane? If we get anything off that flash drive, it would be nice to tell her. After all, without her, we wouldn’t even have it.”

  “I’ll see what we can do after I look at it myself. I’ll expect you and the woman and that nice little piece of equipment at seven.”

  Quinn disconnected the call and turned to Kate. “We’re on.” He explained to her exactly what they would be doing and how.

  “And you’re sure I’ll be safe this way?” she asked.

  “As safe as we can make it. I spoke to Kane Barton himself.”

  Her fingers twisted the terry cloth of the towel she’d wrapped around her body. “Quinn, I know I keep saying this, but I’m really scared. The more I learn, the more terrified I am. With a cartel this powerful, anything could happen tonight.”

  “Yes, it could. I won’t lie to you. There’s always the possibility something will go wrong no matter what. But there’s no guarantee we’d be safe just hiding up here, either. Or trying to find another rabbit hole to crawl into. Especially now they’ve zeroed in on your car. The only thing to do is get this over with and put the bad guys out of business.”

  “I know,” she sighed, still playing with the towel.

  He cupped her cheeks and feathered kisses on her eyelids. “I’ll be right beside you every step of the way. I won’t leave your side.”

  She stared out the oversized dining room window, watching the sun’s rays dancing on the wild grasses. “You know, for a little while, I pretended none of it was real. That this—” She waved her hand at him and the house. “—was the only reality. Telling you and Jake brought it all back into focus again.”

  Quinn pulled her into his arms, pressing her against his chest.

  “It will be better after tonight,” he soothed. “When we leave for town, we won’t go through Windswept. There are plenty of back country roads to take without going directly to the Interstate. Roads where I can spot a tail and lose it if I have to.” He smiled into her eyes. “Once we get past tonight, we can come back up here and hide forever.”

  “And Peter?” she asked, biting her lip. Every time she thought of him she felt sick.

  “He’ll be too busy saving his own ass to worry about yours. You can bet on that.”

  “God, I hope so.” She shivered. “I want my life back.”

  He pressed his lips to her hair. “I love you, Kate. I’m going to do my best to keep you safe.” Mine, he thought savagely. Then he swatted her lightly on her ass. “Come on. Let’s get dressed, and I’ll fix us some lunch.”

  When the sun began to set and they got ready to leave the house, she watched Quinn take out both of his handguns, load them, and carry them to the truck.

  “Do you expect to have to defend me in the prosecutor’s office?” she teased, although in her mind it wasn’t so farfetched. “I didn’t think they were that tough.”

  “Just a precaution, darlin’. Just a precaution.”

  ****

  “Peter.”

  Not much penetrated his control, but Peter Fleming chilled at the sound of the voice on the other end of the call. “What do you want?” He’d been dreading this call, tried his best to avoid it.

  “Is that any way to open this conversation? I should think that someone in your position would want to curry as much favor as possible.”

  “And what position is that?” But he knew. This call only confirmed it. A sour taste rose from his stomach.

  “You know what position. Any further word on the location of the girl?”

  “Maybe.” It was time to buy himself a little breathing room. Briefly he reported on what he’d learned about the car and the library.

  “So we can be sure she’s in the area.”

  “I’d say so.”

  “Then find her. Now. Misjudging that girl and letting her slip through your fingers was bad enough, but to let her steal that storage unit with so much information on it…”

  “It isn’t as if I let her.” His tone was acid sharp.

  “Never mind. It happened. That’s all that’s important. Just get more men on it if you have to. By the way, as soon as I’m back in town, I’ll want you to move to the condo.”

  Damn!

  “Why? I’m doing just fine here at Esai’s.”

  “Because I can keep a closer eye on you there. And if we have to rebuild the entire corporate structure, I want you doing it under my eyes.”

  I’ll bet you do. Bitch.

  “I’m going to call Pendera again shortly,” he said. “He tells me there’s some activity in his office. He didn’t know what so I told him to find out or I’ll cut off his balls. We don’t pay for ignorance.”

  “How delicately you put it. But whatever works, I suppose.” The voice became even colder. “Meanwhile, in our inefficient bumbling, we’ve killed people who have nothing to do with us. You know how I feel about that. It’s the kind of thing that draws unwanted attention.”

  Peter always wondered why it even raised an eyebrow, the killing of insignificant people. The collateral damage. Blood was sprinkled liberally on everyone’s hands in the organization a hundred times over.

  “It isn’t the killing I mind so much,” the voice went on, as if reading Peter’s mind. “It’s the loose ends it leaves. Threads that might lead back to us.”

  And that’s the heart of the matter.

  “The men were very good with the cleanup,” Peter protested.

  “Three bodies with no reason to be murdered create a lot of questions,” the person
argued. “We can’t afford that. The next dead body I see must be hers.”

  “I’ve got it, okay?”

  “Something for you to keep in mind as you proceed here. If you think you’re immune from the same retribution as everyone else, let me assure that’s not the case. Your protection is only as good as your performance, despite what you might think.”

  A click indicated the call had been terminated.

  Peter sat with the dead receiver in his hand. The caller was perhaps the only person that gave Miguel and Esai a sense of unease. What chance did he stand? For the first time in his life, fear spread its icy fingers through his body.

  He was on his fourth cup of coffee and his second helping of antacid tablets when his cell phone rang.

  “I need to see you at once.” Efron Pendera sounded as if the hounds of hell were after him.

  “You have something for us?”

  “Not on the phone. Meet me in that little diner on Navarro. It’ll take me about fifteen minutes to walk there.” He disconnected without waiting for an answer.

  Cursing in two languages, Peter went in search of a set of car keys for one of Esai’s fleet of cars.

  His phone rang again while he was driving.

  “It’s Alfredo,” the voice said. “I showed her picture around using the same sob story. Most people just shrugged me off, but a couple of people recognized her. Said she’s gone off with some guy who lives up in the hills.” He cleared his throat. “Someone they seemed reluctant to talk about. Want me to pursue it?”

  A sick feeling rocketed through Peter’s stomach. “His name wouldn’t happen to be Quinn, would it?”

  “Yeah? How’d you know?”

  “Never mind.” Shit, shit, shit. “Did you find out where he lives, by any chance?”

  Alfredo snorted. “I could find the Lost Dutchman Mine a lot easier. And no amount of muscle or money is going to pry it loose from anyone, I can tell you that. Who is this guy, anyway?”

  Peter popped another antacid tablet. “Someone you wouldn’t want to know. Keep trying and call me back in an hour.”