Dangerous Attraction: Part Two (Aegis Group)

by Sidney Bristol

  “Merry Christmas,” she said.

  “Hm, it is, isn’t it?” He tightened the arm around her, pulling her across the mattress until he had her pressed up against him.

  Her heart beat faster for a new reason, one that had nothing to do with fear.

  “Sleep okay?” he mumbled into her hair.

  “Yeah. You?”

  “The best.”

  She was only wearing a thermal top and panties. It wasn’t a lot of material between them. Was it wrong to think about sex at a time like this?

  A knock at the door interrupted her mental tango.

  “Travis?”

  “Yeah?” he called over his shoulder.

  The door creaked open just a hair. She could spy Mason’s profile, conspicuously looking away from them.

  “Got breakfast. Doctors are taking Ethan into surgery now, thought you’d want to know,” he said.

  “Be out in a minute.” Travis sat up, blocking her view.

  The door closed, leaving them alone again. The sheets rustled and the bed bounced as he got to his feet. He clicked the lamp on and checked his phone. The dim light was more than enough to illuminate her fantasy material. Travis reached for the ceiling and stretched.

  God, he was a work of art. Rough art, but still a thing of wonder.

  A conspicuous bulge tented the front of his boxers. They’d had sex a few days ago, but she could still remember the feel of him inside of her.

  Travis planted his knee on the bed and loomed over her, trapping her with one arm on either side of her shoulders.

  “Looking at me like that gives me ideas.” His voice dropped and her nipples perked up.

  Ideas? The naked kind?

  He buzzed her mouth with a kiss, and she stopped breathing. It was just a scant few seconds of skin-to-skin contact, but she felt it to her core.

  “Up.” He slapped her thigh.

  She gathered the sheets and watched him step into the bathroom. Unlike last night, he didn’t close the door.

  What were they?

  Lovers?

  Fuck buddies?

  Friends with benefits?

  He wasn’t sticking around, not for her, so it wasn’t a relationship. None of those labels felt right. She cared about him. They’d been through enough together in a week that even when he left she would never forget him.

  She got dressed in her same jeans and boots, but changed out the thermal top for a sweatshirt. It wasn’t the height of fashion, but it was comfortable, and she was covered.

  “What are we doing today?” she asked.

  “Food. Check on Ethan. See what the cops dragged in.” Travis was half-dressed, which wasn’t a bad trade-off. She still got to see those abs. They were unreal. The kind of thing people painted on advertisements. He could sell just about anything with that bit of skin if he wanted to. Women would line up for miles to... She did not want to think about another woman touching Travis. This holiday season, he was hers.

  “Any chance I can call my family?”

  “I’m sure the feds can get you a line to their safehouse.”

  “Safehouse?” She blinked at him.

  “Yeah, given how he had you all under surveillance, they thought it would be safest if your immediate family was under protection.”

  “Oh my God.” She blew out a breath and her eyes watered. “What did I do wrong?”

  “You did nothing wrong. Nothing, understand?” Travis wrapped his arms around her tight.

  “Yeah, but—”

  “No, buts. Daniel Campbell is a fucked up man. He picked your sister and your family based on some parameters only he knows. You did nothing wrong. Nothing.”

  She clung to him and buried her face against his shoulder until the tide of overwhelming fear abated.

  Bliss lifted her chin and stared at him. A few days ago, she’d thought he was the sketchiest human being she’d ever seen. Now, he was her personal hero.

  Travis lowered his head. Slow and tentative wasn’t his style, but he understood where she was at. She lifted herself up on tiptoe and kissed him, hooking her arm around his neck. A deep-seated ache throbbed low in her belly. He went on kissing her until her toes curled in her boots, and her nipples chafed the cups of her bra.

  He lifted his face from hers, and she gasped for breath.

  “Please don’t leave me.” As soon as the words left her mouth she cringed. Her whole life, she’d been the capable, independent one. Not this.

  “I’m here. Nothing bad will happen to you.”

  Travis squeezed her and rested his chin on top of her head.

  She prayed he was right, that the nightmares were over.

  Travis thanked the nurse and entered the ICU bay, Mason on his heels. Ethan’s body was relaxed, his head lolling to one side at an angle that was bound to leave a crick.

  “What the fuck are you doing here?” Ethan’s words were slurred and quiet. The anesthesia hadn’t worn off yet.

  “Making sure they took the right leg.” Travis reached over and prodded Ethan’s left knee.

  “You rat bastard. Stop.” Ethan pushed Travis’ hand away.

  “Looks like they knew what they were doing.” He stepped back and hooked his thumbs in his pockets.

  They’d been here a few times over the years. Sometimes they’d been in beds next to each other. Every time they’d pulled through.

  “What’d the doc say?” Mason asked.

  “Like I fucking know.” Ethan was perhaps the grumpiest when he was hurt. His soon-to-be ex-wife had often commented on his inability to handle pain or a little direction. Over the years she’d lost the fondness for his grouchy behavior. Maybe Travis should have seen their split coming, but he didn’t know the first thing about relationships.

  “Go find the nurse or the doc, let us know what needs doing,” Travis said to Mason.

  “Sure thing.” Mason pushed to his feet and strode out to the nurse’s station, a big smile on his face.

  Nurses.

  Of course.

  “Where’s Bliss?” Ethan asked.

  “Safe from you.”

  Ethan flipped him the bird.

  “Nah, I left her back at the cabin with the feds. They can keep an eye on her.”

  “Found him yet?”

  “Not a whisper or a word. Snow set in and covered his tracks. ATV trails run all through that area. He could be anywhere.”

  “You think he’s gone?”

  Travis sat in one of the two chairs and rubbed his chin. The profilers probably had a better idea of what Daniel would and wouldn’t do, but Travis had a gut feeling.

  “He’s either right under our noses, or he’s long gone,” he said at last.

  “Think he’s still after Bliss?”

  “Wendy is the one he wanted, but now, who knows? He got caught because he took Bliss. If he’d left, I’d never have knocked Grayson for a favor and found her. Only reason the feds came here is because we were here. They had nothing.”

  “This ain’t over, man.”

  Travis shook his head.

  “Wish I had both legs under me so I could have your back. This sucks, man.” Ethan sighed and let his head drop back against the pillow.

  “Any idea how long you’re down for?”

  “Couple weeks, then PT. I bet it’s two or three months before I’m back on the job.” Ethan’s face twisted up. They all knew the kind of work the guys on sick leave got. Menial crap that needed to get done, but the kind of stuff no one used to field work wanted to do.

  “Home office is making arrangements to fly you home in a day or two, as soon as they release you. You’ll be in Mamma Dean’s infirmary before you’re released.” One of the perks about working for Aegis Group was the medical facility on the property. Mamma Dean was a retired Navy surgeon who didn’t know the meaning of taking it easy.

  “Good. When you and the kid headed back?”

  “I think Mason’s looking at getting out of here today or tomorrow. I don’t know when I’m l
eaving.”

  “Want some advice?”

  “No.”

  “Too bad, fucktard.” Ethan jabbed at the buttons on the side of his bed until he figured out which one raised the head of the bed a bit.

  “That’s it?”

  “Fuck you.”

  “You’re a real ray of sunshine.” Travis played it fun and easy, prodding Ethan for a reaction, when inside he went over every second at the campsite yesterday. Could he have done something different to keep them all safe and get Daniel?

  “You should take some time. Spend it in Vegas or wherever with her.”

  “Bliss?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Why?” He couldn’t deny that was what he wanted to do. Actually, he wanted to bundle her up and whisk her away to someplace where he knew she’d be safe. Somewhere Daniel wouldn’t look for her.

  “Don’t be stupid. You like her.”

  “I’ve liked a lot of women.” But none like Bliss.

  “Bullshit.” Ethan’s words were clearer now, his face more animated. He was coming out of it, for sure.

  “If it weren’t for me, she wouldn’t be here now.”

  “If it weren’t for your sorry ass, I wouldn’t be alive now. Sometimes we have to take the good with the bad. I’m just saying, you like her. I’ve never seen you take to a woman like this before, so you shouldn’t let it go. Don’t be like me, man.” Ethan stared up at the ceiling.

  Mason knocked on the door, followed by a woman in a white coat with a tablet and a folder of papers.

  “Doc’s here to see ya, gimp.”

  “Fuck you, too, Mason,” Ethan said. His jaw went a bit slack when Mason moved. “Sorry about that, Doc.”

  “It’s okay.” She laughed and pulled up a seat.

  Travis tuned out for most of their discussion. Bliss was still heavily on his mind. She didn’t need him in her life. He was too much trouble, his schedule haphazard, and the likelihood that one day he’d come home in a body bag was high. It was a price too high to ask any woman to pay. Most of all someone with their history. But he couldn’t deny that if anyone asked him what Santa could bring him today, it would be Bliss, in a smile and nothing else.

  9.

  Daniel dropped the tool belt onto the bed. The right uniform, and no one cared what he was up to. Just went to show how stupid people were. The lot of them were only good for one thing: dying.

  He checked the camera feed he set up that morning. The camera didn’t tell him more than who came and went at the FBI cabin headquarters, but at least he knew when certain members were there.

  Bliss hadn’t set foot out of the building since she went in. He’d seen her through a few windows, enough to know the FBI hadn’t spirited her away somewhere else. They were making this easy for him.

  By the end of the year he’d have Wendy and Bliss all to himself. And then he could get started. No one would find them, because they were all going to die.

  Bliss clutched a pillow to her chest and tried to focus on the Christmas Day parade on the television. The FBI apparently didn’t know how to take a day off and were already discussing routes of escape Daniel could have taken. Try as she might, their voices were the only thing she could focus on.

  “Everyone take a half-hour,” Ryan Brooks announced. Frustration vibrated through his voice. She couldn’t blame him—she was frustrated they hadn’t caught Daniel, too.

  “Hey, Bliss?”

  She looked up at the red-headed woman. There was something just a little off about her, but Bliss liked people who were different.

  “I’m going to run out to pick up a few things. I didn’t pack enough clothes for this trip. Need anything?”

  “Sure, whatever you can grab, I’d appreciate it.”

  “Want to make a list? I know Travis said he had a bag for you, but...”

  “Yeah, I think he got most of my dirty clothes in there.” Plus a few things...she couldn’t fathom how he’d grabbed those.

  “Here. Write down your sizes. I can’t promise I’ll get anything fashionable, but at least you’ll have something else to wear.”

  “You don’t have to do that.” Bliss chewed her lip. Her money and credit cards were still at home. It was the one thing she wished Travis would have grabbed.

  Jade sat on the sofa next to her, holding her phone with both hands.

  “I don’t have to, but I want to. Just write up a list. Plus, we can’t promise when you’ll be able to go home. You could be living out of that bag for a while.”

  “Thank you.” Bliss jotted down a few things and hastily added a last item with an asterisk by it.

  “No problem. If you’re up to it, I’d like to ask you a few questions later.”

  Bliss nodded. Inwardly she cringed. She was the only living person who could divulge first-person information. Last she’d heard, Don was still out cold, in a medically induced coma to allow some of his injuries to heal and improve his chances.

  Jade left without another comment. The other people were all over the house, making calls, putting together a sandwich, or talking in pairs. Since Travis and Mason had left to see about Ethan’s surgery more people had arrived. A few spoke to her, but most ignored her.

  “Hey, Bliss?” Connor called to her from the kitchen.

  She groaned to herself and got up. The guy was nice, but she was about done with him. The only person she wanted to talk to was Travis. Or her family. But they were out of the question.

  “What’s kicking?” she asked, glancing at the three agents.

  Connor, Benjamin, and Dmitri, if her memory was to be trusted. Granted, it wasn’t hard to pick them out of the crowd. Connor had the accent, Benjamin was often the only black man in the room, and she hadn’t quite figured out Dmitri’s ethnicity, but she was pretty sure it included both Russian and Latin heritage. The trio was pretty funny after-hours. She’d enjoyed their banter after dinner last night, though the nightmares had returned later. At least then she’d had Travis.

  “Thought you’d like to put in a call to your family.” Dmitri handed her the cordless house phone, his kind smile putting her at ease.

  She glanced at the pre-dialed screen and back at him.

  “Seriously?” She’d accepted that wasn’t going to happen.

  “Go for it. Keep it short, okay?” Connor patted her shoulder, and the three men moved out of the kitchen, giving her a bit of privacy.

  She hit dial and pressed the phone to her face.

  It rang once, twice—

  “Hello?”

  Bliss clapped her hand over her mouth. Her mother’s voice was the best thing ever.

  “Bliss? Is that you?”

  “Yes, Mom, it’s me,” she managed to get out.

  “Oh honey, it’s so good to hear your voice.”

  “Hello? She there?” Her father’s voice was distant, which probably meant he’d picked up another phone, and now she’d have to strain to hear them both. She didn’t care. She got to hear their voices.

  “Hi, Dad. Merry Christmas.”

  “Oh, Bliss, baby, we wish you were here.”

  “Me, too, Dad.” She put her back to the fridge and squeezed her eyes shut.

  “Are you okay? They wouldn’t say a lot about what happened.” That was her mother. Always the worrier.

  “I’m fine. Just some bruises, a few scratches. I’m okay.” It wasn’t the outward injuries she was concerned about. “Are Wendy and the baby okay? Grayson with them?”

  Her dad blew out a breath. She could imagine him sitting down and squinting at the ceiling. He always did that whenever someone asked him a question. “Last we heard from them, yes. The officers won’t let us talk to them much, but we had a check-in last night. They were good. Worried about you.”

  “When can you come home?” her mother asked.

  “I don’t know. No one’s told me much of anything.”

  The front door opened, and she glanced at the entry. Travis stepped through the door. She held her breath as he sca
nned the room and spotted her. Her heart did a little flip and she waved.

  “They’re telling us we need to get off the phone.” Her mother harrumphed.

  “I’m being taken care of, Mom. Love you guys.”

  “We love you,” her parents said in unison.

  Their words were an auditory hug, something she needed so very badly. Bliss hung up the phone and swiped her hands across her cheeks. Being away from her family on Christmas sucked. Given the circumstances, it was even worse.

  “Hey.” Travis filled her vision, blocking off the rest of the room.

  “Christ, make some noise, would you?” She chuckled. It was good to have him near again. He wouldn’t always be there, but for now she needed him.

  “Sorry. Eaten yet?”

  “No.”

  “I grabbed some stuff. There wasn’t a lot open.”

  “Thanks. How’s Ethan?”

  “Grouchy, so that means he’s good.”

  “Good. They want me to talk about Daniel.”

  “Are you ready for that?”

  She shrugged.

  “If you aren’t, they’ll understand.”

  “But if I don’t, we might not find him.”

  “They might not find him even with your input.”

  “I know they want you to go out and help with the search, but do you think you could stick around for a little while and...I don’t know, just be here for that?” She wrapped her arms around herself.

  Travis wrapped her in a hug and kissed her brow.

  “I’m not going anywhere.”

  She could face the nightmares with him by her side. She knew she could. But what would happen when he was gone?

  Travis grabbed a soda at random and a chocolate bar one of the officers had offered up. Bliss’ tears were stuck on repeat in his mind, and he could still hear her trembling voice as she recounted every agonizing moment they’d been apart. He wanted to make all kinds of promises like she’d never be afraid again, that he’d never leave her, but those were irrational.

  What she needed now was time to pull herself together. Sweets were one good tool to help combat the drop in blood sugar.

  Jade entered the kitchen, her gaze on him. “She’s upstairs. Give her a few.”

  He nodded. Words were out of his power now. All he wanted to do was punch something. Preferably Daniel Campbell, but he’d settle for the punching bag downstairs.