Chapter Thirteen
The illuminated hands of Zane's watch peeked out from under his jacket. He glanced down and realized he'd left Guardian headquarters six hours ago. Jewell had promised him she'd stay within the confines of the facility, and he wanted to trust her, but the distinct memory of months of her flagrant disregard for her own safety taunted him with their clarity. He'd alerted security to contact him if she attempted to leave the facility. He would trust but verify.
Zane crouched down in the lengthening shadows of a vacant home across the street from the house that had exploded earlier today. He'd been here, hiding in plain sight as the medical examiner loaded two dead bodies into the meat wagon and left. One was Guardian, the other was supposed to be Vista. He watched the neighbors and onlookers as the firemen rewound hoses and stowed their gear. The last remaining police car vacated the area after the two-man unit had wound crime scene tape around the burnt out shell. Zane watched as the local news wrapped the remote broadcast and interview of several neighbors. He'd observed the fire investigator and his assistant as they carefully examined what remained of the domicile. Patience was a virtue in his business. Hell, it was his only virtue. He observed the darkening corners of the neighborhood. Lights were coming on in the small homes along the street, and he could smell wood smoke from a grill. The infrequent laughter of children and almost constant barking of dogs had stilled as night started to settle.
Zane lifted from his sheltered darkness and let blood once again flow to his lower extremities. He didn't know what he was waiting or looking for, but one thing was certain, every nerve in his body was telling him the entire event this afternoon was too clean. Here you go, Guardian, your hacker is dead. All tied up in a nice bow. Now go back to business as usual. No, his experience told him this afternoon had been a smokescreen or a setup. The bastard had to have known Jewell would track him. He probably didn't know about Godzilla or the fight he'd have to wage to get out of her systems, but Zane would bet his last dollar the bastard had wanted to be discovered and tracked. There wasn't any other reason for the man to attack Guardian again. He wasn't being paid by the Bravata any longer. Unless his pride forced him to make such a glaring error. Zane discounted that idea. The guy was a strategist. This… Zane took in the house and the damage… this wasn't a mistake. This was a planned event.
A late model vehicle drove down the street and crept by slowly. Zane watched it as it pulled into a driveway, reversed and drove back down the street slowing as it passed the burnt out abode. The car maneuvered into a driveway three houses down, and the occupants went to the front door. The tone of friendly greetings carried by the wind wiped the car and its erratic behavior from his mind.
Zane felt the presence before he heard a footfall. He waited, silent and still, but primed for action.
Fury's form emerged from the darkness. The shadows of the house for sale that Zane had been using as cover also kept Fury from sight.
Zane glanced at the man but immediately returned his attention to the house across the street before he asked, "Bored?"
"Family dinner at Jacob's tonight."
"And?"
"Jewell needs to be there." A car started up two houses down. Both men pushed farther back into the shadows. Zane kept his eyes fixed on the house. Joseph added, "I'll take her."
Zane nodded once before he motioned to the house with his chin. "This shit's all wrong."
"Your gut or was something found?"
"My gut."
Fury stood with him for several long minutes. He extended his hand and gave Zane a card with a telephone number on it. "Trust your instincts. I'll stay with her until you get back."
Zane didn't respond. There wasn't any need, Fury was no longer beside him. He pocketed the card. In his former line of business, the card would have been the golden ticket. Fury offering his assistance at any time. Zane had given his card out four times and had received four cards in return. This made the fifth. Who said assassins weren't a social group? He chuckled at the thought.
Zane waited until darkness covered the area. The streetlights cast small pools of light down the residential street. Visitors left, and lights were extinguished. He moved across the street. During the last three hours, he'd shifted through the events of the day. He knew the medical examiner wouldn't have any autopsy results until tomorrow at the earliest. Even the power of Guardian couldn't speed up the painstakingly slow process of uncovering any evidence the charred remains could provide. Dental records would be the best bet, but to match dental records, they needed to know Vista's identity. They didn't have a clue who the bastard was, so dental records were next to useless. He'd hope for a miracle on the ID, but his gut told him the person they hauled out of that house wasn't Vista. The investigative element of Guardian had gone door to door and questioned neighbors. Zane had watched them as they worked. He'd request the documentation in the morning.
Tonight was about watching, waiting and thinking. Zane had been batting around what he knew about the hacker, which wasn't much. He was making assumptions based on his experiences. The fucker could be a seasoned killer, but he doubted it. The hacker was comfortable away from the events he forced to happen. He hid behind a keyboard and directed the dance. He didn't get out on the dance floor himself. The psychology of a first-time killer, one who wasn't a psychopath, was to feel remorse at taking a life. If his hunch was right, the hacker had killed someone today and was dealing with those emotions. Revisiting the crime scene would be stupid and risky. Vista didn't take unnecessary risks. Zane made his way across the street and melted into the shadows of a hedgerow. He wasn't an investigator, he was an assassin. What he needed was background. Background that Jewell couldn't provide.
Zane held still in the darkness and mentally stripped away the layers of civility he'd painted on himself since he received his 'No Go.' He reached deep and yanked the feral beast he'd tried to domesticate into the forefront. For Jewell, he'd become the shadow again. He'd let go of his humanity and slip into the mindset he'd struggled to keep at bay. He needed only the smallest scent to track his prey, and he knew where to go to get it. Zane removed his phone from his pocket and shielded the glow as he tapped out a text and hit send. Only one person had the information he was looking for. Darren Kowalski. The fucker that had sold out Guardian to the Bravata. Rumor was the traitor was currently in solitary confinement where he would wait until the mountain of evidence compiled against him had been combed through and presented to prosecutors. Zane needed time alone with that son of a bitch.
Chapter Fourteen
Jewell sat gingerly on her couch. Her head was pounding, and her eyes were scratchy and tired. Her mind's eyes still saw code scrolling across a black screen. Not even the distraction of her family and five rambunctious nephews at dinner tonight could break her mental calisthenics. She was positive the man she'd been working against this afternoon was Vista. Everything pointed to him. She couldn't find a single keystroke that wasn't consistent with the man's past attacks. She released her hair out of the haphazard bun it was in and groaned in appreciation when a bag of cookies and a soda appeared in front of her.
"You spoil me." She opened the bag and offered her brother, Joseph a cookie. He took one and sat down across from her. "When is Zane going to be back?"
Joseph picked up the remote and shrugged. He powered up the television, muted it and reached for another cookie. "When he figures it out."
"Figures out what, exactly?" She waited for him to fish out another double stuffed Oreo and then popped one into her mouth.
Joseph leaned forward and examined the cookie like it was a priceless coin. Finally, he lifted his eyes and spoke. "People like Zane and I aren't normal. We play at it but never quite get it right. He's got feelings for you. He needs to protect you the only way he knows. He'll go after Vista. He's learning that he can't leave his past behind him. It
will always be a part of him. The question is, are you going to be able to live with who he really is under the veneer."
Joseph popped the cookie into his mouth and leaned back, turning his head toward the television. Jewell separated her cookie and scraped the frosting out of the middle with her teeth while she considered her brother's words. In theory, the answer to that question was yes, she wouldn't have a problem with the man's past, but she wasn't going to bypass Joseph's concerns and comments with a glib answer. Jewell turned his words over in her mind and searched her beliefs and values. She bounced the dynamics of her life against what she believed his past experiences would have been like.
Jewell glanced down at the cookie tray beside her. She'd eaten half a line of cookies and finished her soda while she was thinking. She swiveled her head toward her brother. He flicked his eyes from the TV to her. She handed him the tray of cookies as she spoke. "The man I know is a good man. At least the portion of him that he has let me see. He is calm, quiet and unflappable. For months I've purposefully shown him my worst side and yet he's still here. He claims to care for me, and I believe he does. I won't deny that he has become important to me. I'd like to believe he can show me his worst and I'd stick with him. I think I would, but until that happens, until I see him for who he truly is, I can't answer your concern with certainty."
Joseph took the cookies and stood, heading to the small kitchen. "It won't be easy, Button."
Jewell stood and stretched. "Nothing worthwhile is easy. I'm going to shower, take some aspirin and go to bed. You crashing on the couch or in Zane's room?"
Joseph looked at her and raised an eyebrow. "You assume I'm going to sleep?"
Jewell dropped her arms and shook her head. "Sorry, forgot you don't function like the rest of us humans." She walked over and leaned up on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek. "Night."
Jewell felt the mattress move and jolted awake.
"Shhh… it's just me." Zane's gravelly whisper surrounded her as did his body. Jewell turned toward him and snuggled up under his chin folding her arms across her chest to press as close to him as she could. His arms wrapped around her. She laid a soft kiss on the hollow of his throat. His chest hairs tickled her chin and cheek. The full moon filled the room with a soft silver glow. She reached up and traced one of the ears of the massive tiger that found life on his chest.
"Did you find what you were looking for?"
"No. But I will." Zane drew a hand down the length of her hair.
"And what will you do when you find him?" Obviously, Zane didn't believe the dead body at the crime scene was Vista. She knew that Zane was still searching for the hacker, but he was using a different path to get to him than the one she would use.
"I'll kill him." The matter of fact way he spoke sent a chill down her spine. His repetitive stroking of her hair stopped at her shiver. "I won't allow him to harm you."
Jewell nodded, although tucked up against him, her head only moved a fraction of an inch. "I know. But what if I have another option? I was thinking in the shower tonight. If we assume Vista is still alive like you believe, the easiest way to catch this guy is to set a trap for him."
Zane backed away and looked down at her. His eyes narrowed in concentration. "Using what as bait? Information or a system at Guardian?"
"No, think bigger picture. You and I both know I'm the logical bait in this scenario. I'm the one he wants dead. He blames me for his failures."
"There is no way in hell either your brothers or I would use you." The gravel of his voice turned into a possessive growl. She should have felt marginalized by the caveman tactic, but oddly enough, his protectiveness didn't feel stifling.
Jewell lifted up on her elbow and put a finger over his lips stilling the next series of words that no doubt would remind her that she wasn't an operative. Hell, she knew that. Nobody needed to remind her of the fact. "No, I would not be the sacrificial lamb, but what if we were to flaunt his failures in his face? Publicize the fact that Guardian has thwarted Vista in a public forum. If we make him mad enough, he might make a mistake, which would allow us to catch him."
Zane held her gaze. His breaths came in regular intervals, and those were the only two reasons she knew he wasn't a freaking statue. He didn't move for several long moments. Finally, he leaned forward and brushed his lips against hers. "I have one avenue that I need to try first. If it doesn't pan out, we—as in you and I—will develop a plan on how to entice this man out of the woodwork, and we will present it together to your brothers."
Jewell couldn't help the smile that spread across her face. "You actually like the idea?"
Zane pushed her back onto the mattress and slid a leg through hers. She wrapped her arms around his neck. "I like more than your idea." He dropped his lips to her neck and… Oh, God, his tongue slid down her neck to her collarbone. He swirled his tongue and nipped her skin before he soothed the sting with a kiss. He positioned his body over hers and slid between her legs when she moved allowing him access.
Her hands traveled down his back to the base of his spine. It dipped under her hands as his hips thrust sliding his hard cock against her clit and labia. Jewell gasped at the sensation of his hot shaft pressing, releasing and pressing again. She tilted her hips wanting more pressure.
Zane's hands and fingers moved down her, followed by his lips, tongue, and teeth. An array of sensations teased her mind and body, never the same one twice. A lick, caress, nip, kiss, or light pinch followed by low groans of need and huge hands that cradled and held her and then effortlessly lifted and moved her. His hand finally made it to her sex. She lifted up and bucked against him as his long, thick fingers found their way into her. She threw her head back and clutched both of his biceps when his tongue swiped against her clit. Her strangled breath should have been a scream of delight, but her muddled brain couldn't function.
Zane rose up to his knees and reached toward the nightstand. Jewell put a hand on his arm and stopped him. "Wait, I want to…" Her courage failed, and her words disappeared.
Zane dropped down on all fours hovering over her. "What do you want?" He lifted a hand and pushed her hair out of her face. "Tell me. I'll give you anything," he whispered and lowered down to brush feather light kisses against her lips.
"Can I…" Jewell slowly reached down and touched his cock. It leaped in her hand, and she watched his reaction when a full body shiver followed. His eyes were closed. His lips parted, and his breath was coming in ragged pulls of air. "Can I taste you?"
Zane's eyes popped open at her question. He nodded and dropped to her side moving to lie on his back. Jewell straddled him as he had her. She dipped down and kissed his abs just above his navel. His smell became stronger as she worked her way lower. Her chin bumped the head of his cock on the next kiss. The wetness from the tip spread on her skin. Jewell lifted and examined his shaft. He was thick, long and uncut. She reached out and grabbed him, bringing the head of his cock to her lips. She worked her hand down his hardness and slid the foreskin back. A drop of glistening precome ran down his shaft. Jewell leaned forward and lapped the clear fluid from his body. Zane vibrated, and his thigh shook under her hand. Jewell pumped the hand circling his shaft up and down as she sucked his cockhead into her mouth. Zane's hands flew to her hair, and he gripped two handfuls, not stopping or guiding her, just… holding her as she explored his body.
There was no way she would be able to swallow the man. Instead, she worked his cock with her hand while she sucked what she could fit into her mouth. She popped off him and looked up. His body was covered in a fine sheen of sweat, his eyes were closed, and his hands still gripped her hair. He opened his eyes and tugged her up his body. She went willingly. He ravaged her mouth until she had to pull away or pass out from a lack of oxygen.
He reached for the condom and opened the package. He handed the thin latex disk to her. "Put it on me and then m
ount me."
A wave of desire pulsed through her at his demand. It wouldn't take much to get her off. The sensations between her legs had grown to an ache like none she'd ever had before. Jewell trembled as she slid the condom down his rigid shaft. She positioned herself and reached back to angle his cock toward her sex.
"That's right, babe. Slide down me. I want to be deep inside you."
Holy fuck, Jewell loved his dirty talk. She moaned as his body split hers open.
"That's right. I want your hot little body. I want to feel you tight around me. Fuck, yes." Zane pushed up as she moved down.
Jewell grabbed his shoulders and sat on him. She moved her hips forward and back singeing the nerve endings of her sex with the most intense sensations. She gasped and rocked against him again, dragging her clit against his body. The friction of their bodies was perfect.
"You like that, don't you?"
Jewell could only nod. She lifted up, slid down and rocked again. "Oh, God… fuck that feels so good."
"Perfect. Just like that." Zane held her hips, guiding her up and down but not so tight as to stop the figure eight she did when she hit the bottom of his cock. She was so close. She could feel that pressure, the one that demanded just a little bit more. She lost the rhythm and groaned in frustration. "So close… please, Zane…" She barely recognized the husky whisper of her plea.
Zane grabbed her hips. "Put your hands on my shoulders." He barked the demand and Jewell complied without hesitation. Zane lifted her and then thrust up. An explosion of air pushed from her lungs as he seated himself deep inside her.
Jewell (The Kings of Guardian Book 8) Page 10