by Low, Gennita
Remy pushed a hand through his hair. He knew how she felt about finding her friend. He’d have been as concerned if the missing had been one of his teammates or Mitchell. “Why don’t you turn over what you’ve found to Brendan and ask your supervisor to follow through?”
“I tried. He wants Brendan to do all of the legwork, starting with what I’d already done. He told me specifically to stay out of it, since I couldn’t remain objective and he didn’t want the evidence tainted if they had to take it to a trial.”
His lips quirking on the edges, Remy said, “I bet that went over well.”
Mitchell’s lips twisted. “Right. I told the boss that if I couldn’t at least assist on the case, I wanted to take two weeks of leave. He denied me access to the case, and granted my request for leave.”
“How did you come to the conclusion Hatch had anything to do with this?”
“The Friday before when we’d had dinner, she’d told me about this man she’d met, and what a gentleman he’d been. He’d taken her out to dinner at an expensive restaurant in his limousine and basically treated her like a princess.”
“And the man was Hatch?”
She nodded. “I warned Kelli to be cautious and not trust the man until she got to know him better.”
Remy’s mouth tightened. “Or not to trust them even when you know them well?”
“I also warned her not to rely completely on her own judgment.” Mitchell gave him a sad smile. “We all have regrets for decisions we’ve made. It’s how we learn and grow.”
Remy reached out to take her hand. “I’ve never regretted making love to you.”
Mitchell squeezed his hand. “Me either. But I have regretted the timing. It’s something I’ve had to live with. I still have a hard time forgiving myself.”
“I had hoped we’d have gotten past it by now.”
Mitchell held his hand a moment longer, then let it go and walked away. “Whatever is between you and me is secondary to getting back Kelli alive.”
“True.” Remy gave her the distance she needed, but he wasn’t done breaking past the wall of guilt she’d erected around herself. When they resolved their current situation, he’d take time to scale that wall or knock it down. “Go on.”
“Kelli is a damned good navy officer, but she can also be too trusting.” Mitchell paced the length of the room and back. “When she didn’t show up for duty, her commanding officer called me as her emergency contact. She doesn’t have any family. I’ve been to her apartment, questioned her neighbors and more or less canvassed the area before Brendan was even assigned the case.”
“What did you learn?”
“The last person to see her was the woman who lived in the apartment beneath hers. She saw Kelli leave to go jogging Saturday evening before sunset. She said that was Kelli’s usual routine. She’d jog before sunset and return right before dark. Only this time, she didn’t return.”
“Anything else?”
“I used my credentials to review some surveillance camera footage on prospective jogging routes leaving from her apartment. I found her jogging by a convenience store and that was about it.”
“Again, why Hatch?”
She glanced away and hesitated. “It’s not scientific, and hardly logical, but it’s a gut feeling.”
“That’s not much to go on.”
“Before I left my office at NCIS, I’d run a scan on him through the DMV and got an address. I staked out his home and followed him to the Naughty Ladies Lounge.” She shoved a hand through her hair. “I learned from neighboring business owners that he owned the club, and they weren’t too happy about him as a neighbor. Apparently, he has quite the reputation for strong-arming people to do what he wants.”
Remy’s fists clenched. “Nice company you’re keeping.”
“I didn’t want to start asking questions in the club and hit a stone wall, if his people were instructed to keep quiet about his affairs. I knew the only way I could get close enough to learn anything was to work for him. I auditioned yesterday. Tonight was my first night dancing at the club.”
Remy nodded at her clothes and hair. “Thus the disguise.”
“I couldn’t afford to be sloppy. Whoever is involved in the human trafficking chooses women who don’t have family close by, or who won’t be missed for a couple days. Most of the missing women were blond. I told him I was new to the area. When he asked about family, I said I didn’t have anyone holding me down or judging me.”
“What have you learned from the inside?”
“Not much.” She waved her hand in the air. “They’re all a bit close-mouthed with me being the new girl. There are a couple who look like they’ll share if I don’t seem like a threat. Hopefully, our …performance tonight…” her cheeks flushed a bright pink, “will lend credibility to my cover.”
“How did you know they’d use surveillance equipment? Which, by the way, they did have listening devices and night vision goggles.”
“You saw?” Her eyes widened and she moved closer. “They followed you, didn’t they?”
He nodded. “And they stopped me to ask questions about you.”
“Oh my god, Remy.” She touched his cheek. “They didn’t hurt you, did they?”
He cupped her hand over his cheek. “No, they didn’t hurt me. But they tried to scare me.”
Mitchell snorted. “You? I can’t imagine.”
“You’ve seen Hatch’s bouncers. They outweigh me by at least fifty pounds each.”
She caught her bottom lip between her teeth and worried it before saying, “Yeah, but they’re dumber than a bag of rocks.”
Remy smiled. “Yeah. I let them think they had me, and played the surprised customer. By the way, you owe me a hundred dollars.” Eyebrow crooked, he held out his hand.
“I’ll pay you back. For now, I need it in case Hatch demands a percentage.”
“So, is he your pimp?”
“I’m not sure what he is. All I know is that he’s bad. If he has Kelli locked up somewhere, she’s in a bad place. The sooner we find her, the better.”
“So how was this plan going to work if you were setting yourself up as bait with no back up?”
She dug in her purse, pulled out a paper and extended it. “I intended to drop this in the mail to my boss tomorrow and tell him that if he didn’t hear from me in a couple days to crank it up and look for me.”
He held the paper in his hand, glancing over a web URL and a password. “What’s this?”
“The website and passcode to the remote tracking device I had implanted under my skin.”
His body stiffened. “Sweet Jesus, you’ve got to be kidding me.”
She tried to take back the paper. “Let me have it, unless you plan on delivering it to my supervisor.”
“No way in hell. You can’t do this.” His jaw clenched and he let out a breath. “If Hatch is as bad as you think he is, who’s to say he won’t kill you if he so much as suspects you of being anything but what you’ve told him?”
“If I don’t do something, Kelli might die, or worse.” She stared into Remy’s eyes. “If one of your teammates was in trouble, would you leave it up to someone else to bail him out?”
“No, but I sure as hell wouldn’t be the Lone Ranger and ride into the middle of the snake pit without a backup plan.”
She lifted her chin. “I have a backup plan.”
“A letter in the mail.” Remy shook his head at the potential things that could go wrong. “What if it gets lost? What if you didn’t make it to the post office tomorrow?” He folded the paper and tucked it into his jeans pocket. “Now, hear this. You’re no longer alone on this insane operation.”
“I can’t ask you to be a part of it.”
“Sweetheart, seems like I already am.” He rested his hands on his hips and shot her a grin.
Mitchell’s gaze bored into Remy’s. “I didn’t mean to get you involved.”
“But now that I am, you’re stuck with me.”
“I can’t let you blow my cover.”
“I don’t plan on it, but I will be close by in case your plan goes south.”
“And what if they suspect you’re following me? You’re the only one with my information.”
“Have you forgotten? I have friends in low places.” He winked. “Besides, you were pretty damned hot on stage. All the more reason for a return visit to the Naughty Ladies Lounge.”
“I can’t ask you to involve your team.” She wrung her hands and paced across the floor before facing him again. “I’d never forgive myself if someone else is hurt because I’m breaking all the rules.”
“Again, you can’t do this on your own.” He drew her into his arms and held her close, smiling down at her. “Damn, you’re cute when you’re agitated.”
She swatted at his arms. “There’s nothing cute about this situation.”
His grin slipped. “I know you like to be tough and self-reliant, independent and all that, but sometimes you need the help of your friends. Do you think our team operations would go as well as they do if we went off individually guns ablazin’?” Remy shook his head. “BUDs training taught us that we work as a team and survive as a team.”
“Yeah, but that’s your team.”
“Well, now I’m part of your team.”
With a sigh, she leaned her cheek against his chest. “What if I’m wrong and Hatch isn’t responsible for Kelli’s disappearance?”
“Then we’ll think of something else.” He slid his hand down her back and up again. “The important thing is, you’re not in this alone anymore.”
“What about when you have to report back to duty?”
“Not to worry.” His grin returned. “We’re just back from deployment. We have two weeks off before reporting back to headquarters.”
“Two weeks.” She ran her hand over his chest. “Two weeks isn’t much to you and me. It could be a lifetime for Kelli.”
He nodded and pushed a strand of light curls behind her ear. “I never knew you could dance like you did tonight.”
Angling up her chin, she met his gaze, a smile playing around the corners of her lips. “We’ve never danced together.”
His heart squeezed. “Something I hope to remedy in the near future.”
Mitchell tapped his chest. “I never knew you had a kinky streak.”
“I could say the same.”
She sighed. “There’s a lot we don’t know about each other.”
“And yet, we ended up in bed together. Twice now.”
“Under unfortunate circumstances.”
“True, but is it wrong that I kind of liked what we did tonight?” Remy bent and scooped her up in his arms. “In fact, I might need a few pointers on the spanking part.”
Mitchell laughed and draped an arm around his neck. “I think you have that part down. My ass is still stinging.”
He rubbed his hand over the spot. “Really? I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
“Only in the very best way.” She captured his face in both hands. “I wish you could have seen your face when I told you to fuck me.”
His jaw tightened. “I hope you hadn’t planned on taking another john to that hotel. Speaking of which…how did you even know it existed?”
“We’ve done investigations centered around it. And, for the record, I’d hoped to avoid taking anyone there, relying on my dirty dancing abilities rather than my slutty prostitute persona. But when you showed up and started to make a stink, I had to do something and fast.”
His hands tightened on her. “Better me than some asshole.”
“Look, Remy, this isn’t how I imagined our reunion. I’m not exactly sure what I thought it would be, but I didn’t plan on hopping right back in bed.” She brushed her lips across his. “But I’m glad it was you tonight.”
He caught her bottom lip between his teeth and pulled gently then let go. “I still get the feeling our timing is off.” He loved holding her, his fingers brushing the side of her breast, her smooth thighs draped over his forearms as he carried her toward his bed.
“In our lines of business is there ever a good time?” Mitchell smoothed a lock of his hair from his forehead.
As a SEAL, he wore it longer on deployment and had yet to cut it since he’d returned. He was glad he’d taken time to shave off his beard. “Tell me, Mitch. If Derek had lived, would there have been an us?”
Her eyelids drifted down over her eyes. “I had planned on breaking up with Derek after he’d returned from deployment.”
“Why? Derek was a great guy.”
“I know. I didn’t want to hurt him. That was what made it so hard, and why I waited for his return.” She rested her cheek against his shoulder. “I loved Derek, but I was beginning to think of him as a very good friend. Not a lover I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. I knew I wasn’t right for him, and that he deserved to find someone who could love him with all her heart.”
Remy laid her on the bed, reluctant to slip his arms out from under her. “Derek died before you could tell him that. He was probably better off not knowing.” Remy shook his head. “And us?”
“I have to admit, part of the reason I wanted to break it off with Derek was because of you.” She stretched up and kissed him again. “I found myself attracted to Derek’s best friend. And I knew my feelings were wrong. Even if I broke it off with Derek, I couldn’t date you. It wouldn’t have been fair to Derek, and that would have put a strain on your friendship, as well.”
“You planned to walk away from both of us?” Remy slid onto the bed beside her, still fully clothed, watching the changing expressions on her face. He hated seeing her so sad.
Mitchell turned on her side, facing him. “I couldn’t give Derek false hope when he deserved more than I could give.”
“So the death of our friend freed you to see me.” His mouth twisted into a wry grin. “And we made love the night of his funeral. I can’t tell you how bad I felt, the guilt I carried for nearly half of this year.” He gripped her hand in his, unwilling to take it further, not with the full force of their year-old transgression still lingering between them.
Threading her fingers with his, she brought his hand to her cheeks. “A year is a long time to hold onto guilt and grief.” She guided his hand along the curve of her neck to the swell of her breast. “The last time we talked, I’d made up my mind to see you and take it from there. If we both could move past what happened the night of Derek’s funeral, I was ready.”
Hope swelled in Remy’s chest and the heat of her body filled his hand. He’d dreamed of the day when they could be free of Derek’s ghost. “I’d prayed for the same.”
Mitchell chuckled softly. “It’s past midnight.”
“And?”
Her eyes glittered. “Happy Valentine’s Day.”
“I have to admit it started out exciting.”
Seeing the melancholy leave her face left Remy’s heart lighter, some of the guilt receding to the far corners of his mind. He’d never forgive himself for dishonoring his best friend like he had. At the same time, he and Mitchell had been grieving his loss. Thus, the reason for seeking comfort in each other’s arms.
Comfort. He brushed his thumb across the fabric of her top.
Her nipples peaked beneath and her back arched, pressing her breast more firmly into his hand.
Remy’s groin tightened in response. “Where to from here?” he dared to ask.
“I’m thinking it’s pretty obvious.” With a sly smile, she dragged his hand lower to the juncture of her thighs. “We’ve shot past the awkward stage of feeling each other out, and gone straight to reunion sex.” His lips quirked. “I don’t know about you, but I found it pretty damned hot.”
Mitchell lifted the hem of her skirt and pressed his hand to the triangle of material covering her sex. “I figured you for the more dangerous, bad-boy type, which was one of the reasons I was so attracted to you, but I didn’t know you had a kinky side.”
His palm heated
. He slid his hand beneath the silk of her panties, parting her folds to stroke the flesh between. “Neither did I.”
“Until tonight.” She pushed his hand lower, and with her finger, guided two of his into her warm, wet juices. “This time, we don’t have an audience.”
“Such a shame. I’ve discovered, I’m at my best on stage.” His cock already hard as a solid walnut board, he pressed it against their hands.
She gripped his zipper and dragged it down, his member springing free. Mitchell grasped it and slid her fingers along its length down to the base, rolling his balls between her knuckles. “I don’t see any difference in performance with or without the viewers.”
“Sweetheart, we haven’t even begun.” He rolled her onto her back and started at her lips, kissing, nipping and tonguing her mouth, then trailed down the smooth line of her jaw, the graceful length of her neck to the tops of her breasts. “Too many clothes,” he muttered. He grabbed the hem of her shirt and yanked it up over her head, loving the demi-bra she wore beneath, pushing her generous breasts into glorious mounds. He pressed a kiss to each and reached behind her to unzip the skirt he’d hiked up earlier. Though earlier the encounter had been all about the hot, visceral sex, now he wanted to see her. All of her naked body. All the time she’d been with Derek in the other room of their apartment, he’d lain in a heated sweat, imagining he was the one driving into her. He’d promised himself that if ever they were lovers, he’d make her scream.
He pictured Mitchell as a she-cat in bed. Aggressive, unashamed and willing to try different things, maybe even a little BDSM. He’d never heard her cry out with Derek.
Ripping the skirt down her legs, he dragged the panties down next and then sat back on his haunches staring down at her lithe, beautiful body, curvy in all the right places. His heart pounded.
She raised her arms above her head as her gaze swept over him, pausing at his engorged cock. “Are you going to make me beg?” Her blue eyes flared and a quickly indrawn breath made her chest rise.
“I might.”
“And, if I don’t, will you spank me like you did earlier?” She sucked in her lower lip.