by Marie Force
“I’m well aware that it would be a conflict for the Bureau to investigate the murder of our director,” he said with a testy edge to his normally honeyed Southern accent. “That’s why I called the lieutenant when I found him rather than my own people.”
“Excellent,” Farnsworth said. “Glad we’re all on the same page.”
Sam almost laughed at that, but thankfully managed to control herself, knowing Hill wouldn’t appreciate it. “In the morning, I’m going to jump all over the Rollings case and any connection Hamilton might’ve had to Tennessee during that era.” She would’ve already done that if her husband and son hadn’t been sick all weekend.
“I can tell you what connection he had,” Hill said. “He was the agent in charge of the Knoxville Field Office in the eighties.”
Sam felt like she’d been sucker punched. “Holy Christ.”
“I... I know it’ll sound like I’m defending him,” Hill said, “but in my wildest dreams I can’t conceive of Hamilton kidnapping someone’s child and raising him as his own.”
“If I’ve learned one thing in more than thirty years in this business,” Farnsworth said, “it’s that people are capable of anything under the right circumstances.” His words echoed hers from earlier. They’d both seen a lot during their careers and had learned to keep their minds wide-open to all possibilities.
“What circumstances could’ve led him to kidnapping someone else’s child?” Hill asked, becoming more flustered by the second.
“Until we know we have a match on the DNA, the kidnapping should take a backseat to the homicide investigation,” Sam said.
“How can they not be related?” Malone asked. “The timing can’t be coincidental.”
“Agreed,” Sam said. “But our priority right now needs to be notifying Hamilton’s wife and working the homicide. We’ll know more about the kidnapping and whether the DNA is a match tomorrow or the next day.” She handed the address Josh had given her for his grandmother to Hill. “That’s where you’ll find Mrs. Hamilton.”
He took it from her without comment.
Sam asked for a moment with Malone and brought him up to speed on Gonzo’s whereabouts.
“Good to know he’s getting some sleep,” Malone said.
“That’s what I thought too. Christina’s concerned about whether she did the right thing. I’d like to put her mind at rest...”
“Yes, tell her I agree with you, and we’ll see him when he feels up to returning to duty.”
“I will. Thank you, Captain.”
“I can’t say I understand what he’s going through because I’ve never had a partner gunned down right next to me.”
“Same. I hope I never do.”
Speaking of her partner, the agent working the front door admitted Freddie Cruz, and Sam’s heart ached at the thought of losing him the way Gonzo had lost Arnold. She couldn’t go there, not even for a second.
“We’re all set, Detective?” Farnsworth asked.
“Yes, sir,” Freddie said. “I spoke with the Patrol commander and they’ll be providing overnight security at the house.”
“Very good, thank you.” To Josh, Farnsworth said, “Mr. Hamilton, Detective Cruz will escort you to a safe house that’s managed by the MPD. You’ll be under the protection of the department until we know more about what happened to your father and whether there’s a connection to the Rollings family.”
“It’s the same place we kept Selina during the Lightfeather investigation,” Freddie said to Sam.
She nodded. “Good. Thanks. Did you get anything from the canvass of Hamilton’s neighborhood?”
“One neighbor reported seeing someone running from the house at around three-thirty. Carlucci and Dominguez are taking the statement at HQ.”
“Do we have any cameras in that neighborhood?”
“Archie’s on that,” he said of Lieutenant Archelotta, who headed the department’s IT division.
Sam’s cell phone rang, and she retrieved it from her pocket, scowling at the sight of Darren Tabor’s name on the caller ID. He was becoming a regular pest. “What?”
“What’re you guys doing up at the FBI director’s house?”
“How would I know? I’m suspended.”
“You were seen there earlier.”
“No idea what you’re talking about, Darren. I’m not allowed to conduct MPD business as you and everyone in the city knows thanks to your reporting.”
“Who’s covering for you while you’re out?”
“Malone.”
“Where’s Gonzo?”
“Gotta go, Darren. Nice to catch up.” She slapped the phone closed. “He’s going to call you,” she said to Malone, whose phone rang. He ignored it. “He’s digging into what’s going on at Hamilton’s house. We’re on borrowed time to notify the family before the press gets the story.”
“Let’s go.” Hill headed for the door, with Malone and Farnsworth following.
“I’ll call you in the morning,” Malone said to Sam over his shoulder.
She wanted to go with them so badly she could taste it. This was the kind of case she lived for, but thanks to fucking Ramsey and his big fucking mouth, she was relegated to the cheap seats while the others got to work the case. There was still a lot she could do from the cheap seats, but there was nothing like the front lines when it came to a homicide investigation.
Resigned to her fate for the time being, she turned her attention to Josh, who was putting on his coat.
“Thanks for letting me come here,” Josh said. “Sorry for any trouble I caused.”
“You were no trouble. Hopefully we’ll have some answers for you in the next day or two.”
“I don’t know what to hope for anymore—that I’m Taylor or that I’m not. It’s all very confusing.”
“I’m sure it is. Let me ask you... Did your father ever talk about the time he spent in Tennessee as the field office director in Knoxville?”
Josh’s brows knitted in confusion. “He didn’t live in Tennessee.”
“Special Agent Hill confirmed that he was the agent in charge of the Knoxville Field Office in the eighties.”
“I don’t think that’s right. I’ve never heard him talk about living in Tennessee, and he talked about everything when it came to his career.”
“Well, maybe Agent Hill was mistaken.”
“Must’ve been.”
“Let’s get you out of here and settled for the night,” Freddie said. To Sam he added, “I’ll call you.”
She waved him over before he went through the door. “Christina called Nick. She said Gonzo was sleeping for the first time since Arnold was killed, and she let him sleep rather than telling him work had called.”
Freddie shuddered. “Remember when Elin did that to me and I ended up getting shot?”
“A. Elin did it because she wanted a booty call. B. You got shot because you were stupid. Two very different situations.”
“Gee, thanks, Lieutenant. Appreciate the reminder of my stupidity.”
“I’m always here for you, Detective. Now get out of my house. My husband wants a booty call.”
“Ugh.”
Sam cracked up laughing at the face he made.
“Unnecessary.”
“It’s actually very necessary. Call me in the morning. I want to be kept in the loop on every aspect of this investigation. Let the others know too.”
“Okay.”
To Josh she said, “We’ll be in touch as soon as we know anything about the DNA.”
“Thank you for everything you’ve done. I’m sorry to have dragged you into this.”
“I’m glad you came to me, and I’ll see it through to whatever conclusion it leads to. I promise.”
Nodding, he preceded F
reddie out the door.
“Are you expecting other visitors, Mrs. Cappuano?” the agent asked.
“Not tonight.”
“Very good. Have a nice evening.”
“You too.” She shut off the lights in the kitchen and living room and went upstairs to the bedroom, expecting to find Nick already in bed. But he wasn’t there or in the adjoining bathroom. Sam smiled when she realized where she would find her husband. Though she was still concerned about his health, she knew by now how convincing he could be when he wanted her. So she took a quick shower, shaved her legs and applied the vanilla-scented lotion that drove him wild, not that she needed any help when it came to driving him wild. He was easily driven where she was concerned, which was one of many reasons she loved him so much.
Her mind refused to shut down, spinning through the events of the day. This was one hell of a time to be hit with a case of this magnitude, with her on suspension, Gonzo spiraling and the Homicide unit already shorthanded due to the loss of Arnold. Those worries had her placing a call to Malone.
“Didn’t I just see you?”
“I’m thinking...”
“Always a dangerous pastime for you, Lieutenant.”
“Ha, ha.”
“What’s on your mind?”
“This huge case falling into our laps at a time when we’re ill prepared to cope with it.”
“Your thoughts match mine.”
She realized he was choosing his words carefully because he was in the car with Hill. “The chief could lift my suspension, and I could serve out the rest after we close this case.”
“Again, your thought process and mine are aligned. I’ll discuss it with him and get back to you in the morning.”
“Great, thanks.” Sam was nearly giddy at the thought of being brought back to deal with the Hamilton investigation, not to mention imagining Ramsey’s reaction to hearing that she was back on the job because she was so essential to the department.
“You can stop your gloating now, Lieutenant,” Malone said with a chuckle.
“Who’s gloating? Have a good night, Captain.”
“You do the same.”
Sam ended the call and did a jig around the bedroom. It sure was nice to be essential to so many people, including her husband, who was getting so lucky tonight, even if she wasn’t convinced he should be exerting himself after being sick. He said he was fine, and she chose to take him at his word.
She crossed the hall to the room she used as a closet and changed into some of the sluttiest lingerie she owned before tying a big, bulky, unsexy, safe-for-Secret-Service-to-see robe over the ensemble.
She stepped into the hallway to find Secret Service Barbie giving her the eye. Eat your heart out, she wanted to say to the other woman. I’m going to get it on with the sexiest vice president in the history of the world right now. Of course she couldn’t actually say that, so instead she said, “Good night, Melinda.”
“Good night, ma’am.”
Sam felt the agent’s eyes on her back as she checked on Scotty, who was sleeping soundly, and then made for the stairs that led to the third-floor loft her loving husband had put together as a getaway for them. If the agents knew what went on up there, they never let on, but Sam was sure they had their suspicions. Let them wonder. It was bad enough that their house was overrun with people these days. The time they spent alone up there belonged to her and Nick and no one else.
On the way upstairs, she was greeted by the scent of coconut that took her right back to the blissful days and nights of their honeymoon. As she shut and locked the door behind her, she saw that he’d lit the candles, turned on music and was asleep on his side, the sheet pooling around his narrow hips, leaving his muscular back exposed. She licked her lips at the sight of him, torn between wanting him and not wanting to disturb his badly needed sleep.
Sam removed the robe and the lingerie since he was asleep, tossed her clothes over the end of the double lounge chair, put her cell phone on the bedside table and slid in next to him, tugging the covers up and over her.
His arm immediately encircled her waist, making her squeak inelegantly as he tugged her in close to him.
“I thought you were asleep!”
“That’s what I wanted you to think,” he said, laughing.
Her heart beat fast with adrenaline from being surprised and the ever-present desire that flooded her senses whenever he was nearby. She’d never reacted to any man the way she did to him, and she was addicted to the way he made her feel.
He propped himself up on an elbow and gazed down at her, as if seeing her for the very first time.
“What?” she asked, unnerved by his intense scrutiny.
“Just looking at what’s mine.”
“You put on quite a show downstairs.”
“When?”
“Don’t play dumb with me. You know exactly what I’m talking about.”
“Why does he still look at you that way when he has Shelby waiting for him at home with his ring on her finger?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. He doesn’t look at me any way.”
“The second you walk into the room his eyes are on you. Every. Single. Time.”
“Why do you let it bother you? It has no bearing on us.”
“It pisses me off.”
“Sort of like it pisses me off that Secret Service Barbie looks at you like you’re a great big banana split with an extra helping of nuts?”
He lost it laughing.
“Why is that funny but your shit about Hill isn’t?”
Wiping tears from his eyes, he said, “Because she’s paid to look at me, and he’s just hot for you.”
“No, he isn’t. And PS, I came up here hot for you, but I’m cooling by the second.”
His hand landed on her thigh as he nuzzled her neck. “We can’t have that, now, can we?”
“I don’t know. You tell me. Are you going to keep pulling this alpha-dog crap every time he’s around? Because with his director bludgeoned to death, I’d venture to guess he’s going to be around.”
“You love when I’m your alpha dog.”
“No, I don’t!”
“Yes, you do.” As if to prove his point, he anchored her arms above her head with one of his hands around her wrists and settled between her legs, the hot press of his cock against her sex leaving no doubt in her mind what he wanted. “You love it when I do this, for example.”
She turned her face away from his kiss even though that was the last thing she wanted to do. “No, I don’t.”
“I’m feeling the evidence to the contrary.”
It was on the tip of her tongue to say that Hill’s attention had made her hot, but she knew better than to make that particular joke.
His lips made a path from her throat to her jaw, further reducing her to putty in his hands. “Now, that’s what I’m talking about.”
Sam was powerless to resist him, and he knew it. “Let go of my hands.”
“In a minute.”
Sighing, she closed her eyes and gave herself over to him, jolting when his teeth closed around her nipple as he slid a finger into her. Sam’s mind cleared of anything that didn’t involve the intense sensations spiraling through her body.
He kissed his way down her center, releasing her hands as he went lower, his hands skimming over her belly.
“Nick.”
“What, baby?”
“I want you.”
“You’ll have me. In a minute. Or two.”
She groaned as he raised her legs to his shoulders, making his intentions clear.
“Relax,” he said, the whisper of his breath making her shiver in anticipation. “Open for me.”
He made her feel madly vulnerable when he touched her
this way. Their physical connection, always incendiary, was more so tonight after the scare he’d given her yesterday. “Yes, like that,” he said. “Mmm, so wet and so hot.” He sank two fingers into her and gave her his tongue in teasing strokes that had her immediately on the verge of release. “Not yet,” he said, retreating as she groaned.
He kept that up until she was about to lose her mind or beg for relief or both.
“Nick, come on!”
“Is this what you want?” he asked. Then he sucked on her clit and made her explode.
She might’ve even screamed, which she tried not to do these days with a house full of Secret Service agents.
He crawled into her arms and kissed her with lips and a tongue that tasted of her. His kisses were wild and heated, and she clung to him, so thankful to have him back to normal after a frightening few days.
“What’re you thinking about?” he asked, gazing down at her. Propped on his elbows, he used his thumbs to brush the hair back from her face.
“About how badly you scared me yesterday.”
He brushed his lips over hers. “Sorry about that.”
“Don’t do it again.”
His smile lit up his gorgeous hazel eyes. “I’ll try not to.”
“It made me realize how much I put you through.”
“Yes, you do, but you know what makes all the stress worth it?”
“What?”
“This.” He entered her in one deep stroke, flexing his hips to ensure maximum impact.
Sam gasped and clutched his back as she struggled to accommodate his thick length.
Dropping his head, he kissed her neck. “Every second I get to spend inside you more than makes up for the time I spend worried about you.”
She wrapped her arms and legs around him, wanting him as close to her as she could get him. For a long time, they stayed just like that as he pulsed inside her, making her squirm under him.
“This is all I need to be happy, Samantha,” he whispered. “You’re all I need.”
“I need you so much that it scares me sometimes.”
He raised his head to meet her gaze. “Why does it scare you?”