Sinful Illusions

by Morgan James

  I lifted a brow. “So, five. But five what?”

  “Days, I think.” He spread the sheets out. “Since we’ve always been alerted of the shipment after the fact, I went back and tried to pinpoint exact dates. It’s difficult to tell for sure, but I believe that they’re referring to the fifth day of the month.”

  I glanced at the calendar. The fifth of next month was just over a week away. “So you think we have just a few days until the next shipment comes in?”

  “That’s my best guess, yes.”

  I shook my head. “We need something more substantial. This is too big to gamble and hope it’s correct. See if you can get anything more definitive.”

  He gave a single, concise nod. “Also, from some of the other words in the conversations, I think I’ve determined where those came across. It’s been different each time, so we need to figure out where the point of entry will be this time.”

  I rubbed my temples. Easier said than done. This was the Canadian border we were talking about. There were more than five thousand miles to examine—not only land, but water access as well—and if we missed it, we were fucked. “All right. Bring Callum and Xavier in here, and let’s check all points with easy access.”

  Which was to say, pretty much all of it. Fuck.

  We spent the rest of the day trying to determine where the shipment would be coming through. There were hundreds of possible routes, and by the time darkness fell, I was frustrated and burnt out.

  “One last thing,” I said as I rose from my paper-cluttered desk. “Marcella says Sebastian is in Monte Carlo at the moment. Xavier, you still have a contact over there, right?”

  He dipped his head in a nod. “Yes, sir.”

  “Have him check in on Mr. Moreau. And see that he encounters a streak of bad luck, or whatever else his creative mind can conjure up.”

  The corners of his mouth twitched. “Consider it done.”

  I couldn’t change the fact that Sebastian was a cheating bastard, but I could hit the asshole where it hurt. I made my way upstairs to my room, vaguely surprised and disappointed when I found it empty.

  Crossing to the connected door, I opened it and looked into Eva’s room. She was just coming out of the bathroom, and she froze when her eyes landed on me.

  “Come to bed.”

  She threw me a glance rife with confusion. “I’m getting ready right now.”

  A strange feeling swelled in my chest as I considered what I was about to say. Meeting her gaze head on, I tipped my head toward my room. “My bed.”

  Eva blinked, but if she was surprised by my request, she didn’t say anything. She turned off the light, then moved toward me, bringing with her the delicate scent of flowers and sweet woman. My hands automatically moved to her hips as she met me in the doorway, and I fastened my mouth to hers. Maneuvering us toward the bed, I grabbed the hem of her silky nightie and broke the kiss long enough to rip it over her head.

  As I moved to the middle of the bed, I told myself it was easier this way—that with her next to me, I could keep a closer eye on her. But we both knew the truth. I wanted her, needed to feel her skin pressed to mine. In the next breath, she was moving into my arms when I reached for her and rolled her beneath me. Grabbing the waistband of her panties, I stripped them down her legs and tossed them to the floor. Dipping my mouth back to hers, I breathed her in, letting her heady scent fill my nostrils as I ran my hands over every inch of her warm flesh. Helpless to control my rampant desire, I gave myself over to the pleasure of being inside her.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Eva

  Twigs crunched beneath my feet as I crept through the darkened woods. A cool breeze whipped through the trees, and I wrapped my arms around myself. Overhead, the moon shone brightly, guiding my way. To where? I glanced around, feeling confused but drawn forward by some unseen force. Something waited for me deep in the woods, and trepidation filled me as I put one foot in front of the other, each step bringing me closer.

  A familiar laugh cut through the air, and my ears perked up at the sound. “Elle?”

  It came again, from farther ahead this time, and I picked up my pace. “Elle? Ellie!”

  All around me tree limbs scraped against each other as they wavered in the wind, and the sound sent a chill down my spine. The breeze picked up, pushing me onward, deeper into the forest. I struggled against it, but my feet continued to move. Suddenly, the wind died and I stumbled to a spot in the middle of a large clearing.

  My heart raced in my chest, and I spun in a circle, frantically looking for my sister. “Ellie!”

  My name floated toward me on the breeze, and I whipped around, the trees blurring before my eyes as I called out to her. “Elle!”

  “Eva…”

  My name floated toward me, and tears clouded my vision. “Where are you? I can’t see you!”

  Above me the trees parted, allowing a bright shaft of moonlight to illuminate the ground at my feet. My eyes scanned the disrupted leaves, saturated with a dark substance. Blood. Fear stole over my body, rendering me motionless as I watched the ground shift and change. The brittle, dry leaves fell away and a huge, gaping hole split the earth at my feet. It morphed and elongated into a large rectangle, and goosebumps rose over my arms at the sight of the open grave.

  A shadow fell over the ground, growing until it obscured the trees and the moon, and I spun toward it.

  “Eva…”

  Ice slid through my veins as the shadow took on a hulking human-like form looming over me. Suddenly, it lunged forward, and I instinctively took a step back as fear took over. I sucked in a breath as I stumbled backward, away from the apparition. My heel slipped over the edge of the giant hole behind me, and I windmilled my arms as I fought to regain my balance. A scream caught in my throat as the soft earth gave way, and I tipped backward into the empty grave. A sense of weightlessness sieged me as I fell down, down, down, and darkness wrapped around me, pulling me under.

  * * *

  I lurched upward, gasping for breath, my body flashing hot and cold.

  “Eva!”

  A huge set of hands landed on my shoulders, and I screamed, throwing myself into motion. I fought off my attacker, kicking and flailing, until he pinned me down and a familiar voice penetrated my brain.

  “EVA! It’s me—Fox. Wake up, angel.”

  It took several seconds for the room to come into focus, and Fox moved to the side, giving me some space. My lungs still heaved erratically as the dream bled away, leaving me in my equally dismal reality. My heart felt heavy, and I fought the tears gathering along my lashes as I pushed myself to a sitting position and leaned against the headboard.

  “Bad dream?”

  I nodded, pulling my knees up to my chest and holding on tightly.

  “Want to talk about it?”

  For a whole minute, I sat there quietly, processing every emotion running through me. “I miss her.”

  “Your sister?”

  “Her name was Elle.” I swallowed hard. “But I think you already know that.”

  Beside me, Fox stiffened but remained silent. The fact that he didn’t deny it sent a sharp pang of hurt slicing through my chest. I turned my head away so he wouldn’t see the tears slipping from the corners of my eyes.

  Fox exhaled, then shifted so he was sitting beside me, his shoulder brushing mine. “Tell me about your dream.”

  I couldn’t speak over the tears clogging my throat. Instead, I shook my head, hoping he would just let it go.

  “Sometimes talking about it helps.”

  Swallowing down the excruciating pain, I turned to face him. “Do you talk about the things you’ve done?”

  Even in the near-dark, I could see his jaw set in a hard line. “That’s different.”

  The dream was so real, the pain so sharp, that it felt like an anvil was sitting on my chest. My lungs ached as I drew in a breath. “Maybe I’m just as bad as you.”

  “Don’t do that.”

  “What?” I
couldn’t help the bitterness saturating my voice. “I’m sure it’s pure coincidence that I crawled into bed with the man who killed—”

  “Stop!” He grabbed me roughly by the shoulders, trying to make me face him. But I couldn’t bear to look at him anymore. I fought against his hold, arms flailing until he pinned me to the headboard, my wrists in his huge hands pressed to the wall next to my head. “I want you to listen when I say this, because it’s the absolute truth.”

  What the hell was wrong with me? I shouldn’t want him, and yet I fell into bed with him every chance I got. Guilt ate at my soul, and I kept my head turned, my eyes clenched closed against the tears that escaped and slipped down my cheeks. “Eva. Look at me.”

  Dredging up every ounce of willpower, I finally met his gaze. He dipped his chin to look me in the eyes, and for several seconds he was absolutely silent, just staring at me. He gently lowered my hands to my lap, then cupped my face, wiping away the moisture tracking down my cheeks with his thumbs. “I know you’re hurting, but you need to know—I never laid a hand on your sister.”

  I stared at him for a moment. I shouldn’t trust him, yet I did. Maybe because I wanted to, or maybe it was because I wanted to believe that, deep down, he wasn’t as bad as either of us thought. I didn’t want to believe that I’d willingly crawled into bed with a cold-blooded killer. I studied his features in the dim light, searching his fathomless black eyes. “But you know what happened.”

  He sighed. “Yes.”

  I dropped my chin as tears burned the backs of my lids once more. There were so many questions I wanted to ask but couldn’t bring myself to do so. Maybe one day I would be strong enough to hear the answer. Right now wasn’t it.

  “It was nighttime. Cold.” He didn’t pretend to misunderstand what I was talking about, just settled against the headboard next to me, his comforting strength washing over me. “I was walking through the woods when I heard her laugh. I don’t know how I knew it was her, I just… did.” Tears threatened once more at the memory, but I blinked them back. “I saw it. Where she was killed.”

  “Christ.” His tone was low and hard. “I’m sorry—” I jerked away when he reached for me, and his hand dropped to his lap. “How do you know?”

  “Pictures.” God only knew how many times I’d looked at the photos of the crime scene the officers and techs had taken. Studying. Analyzing. Absorbing every detail, trying to decipher the truth. I could feel her in my heart—but my mind knew she was gone.

  “I feel like she was trying to show me something.”

  “It was just a dream—”

  “You don’t understand,” I snapped. “You might be able to take a life without a second thought, but I’ll never be like that. She wasn’t just my sister. She was my best friend. I feel like half of me is missing without her. Part of me wishes I’d died with her.”

  “Stop it.” I gasped as Fox seized my face and turned me to him. He dipped his chin. “Don’t ever say that.”

  “It’s true,” I whispered.

  “No.” Despite my protest, he looped an arm around my shoulders and pulled me close, tucking my head into the crook of his neck. “You’re still here. You have so much life left to live. She’d want you to move on—I know she would.”

  How could I move on when I felt like I wasn’t even whole? “Tell me something.”

  “If I can.” His tone was guarded, and I closed my eyes, bracing myself for his response.

  “Was it quick?”

  He deliberated before speaking. “There was no pain.”

  I didn’t know what to think of that. I wanted to be happy that she hadn’t suffered, but my heart ached that she was truly gone. I pulled away, curling onto my side and burying my head in the pillow.

  “Angel…”

  “I can’t.” My voice broke. “Not… not right now.”

  This time, he let me go.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Fox

  Each night brought her closer to me. The morning following her nightmare, I’d awoken to find her cheek pressed to my bicep. The second morning, she’d been curled against my side as if seeking me out for comfort. By the third, I awoke to find her head on my chest, one leg thrown over mine. We hadn’t revisited the subject of her sister or the nightmare she’d had, but I knew it was still looming in the back of her mind. I could see the remnants of shadows in her eyes occasionally, but something had shifted between us.

  For the past four nights, we’d retreated to my room after dinner. We exhausted ourselves physically, then moved to our respective sides of the bed. But in the middle of the night, Eva would reach for me, and I would pull her into my arms. She slept with her head nestled right over my black heart, and I clung to her like a lifeline.

  I slept longer. Better. Just having her near was as soothing as it was troubling. She made me feel weak, needy, out of control. At the same time, I felt more content, more well rested, more sated than I ever had in my entire life. I didn’t like the power she wielded over me, even if only in sleep. Especially in sleep. That was when I felt most vulnerable, and a huge part of me resented her for making me need her. I’d thought it would fade. I thought once we’d worked this insane attraction out of our systems, that everything would go back to normal. But my desire for her had only increased.

  Eva hadn’t spent a single night in her bed since I’d turned down Marcella’s offer. Though I rarely saw her during the day, Eva and I made love each night, as if it was the only time we could truly be open with each other. It was more passionate, more intense every time we came together. We were like fire and ice, ravaging everything in our wake, yet somehow making each of us stronger. Better. I’d seen a confidence in Eva I’d hadn’t noticed before. Though she remained obedient and submissive in the bedroom, she held herself taller, straighter. She exuded a healthy glow, and her eyes were brighter.

  I’d told her the truth. Although I knew every detail of what happened to Elle Masterson, I’d never laid a hand on her. I was grateful that Eva trusted me, believed me. I knew it didn’t make the situation any easier, because she was still hurting, and I hated that. I should have lied and told her I was responsible for Elle’s death. Maybe then Eva would have done the smart thing and retreated. But she hadn’t. She was everything I’d ever wanted, and it scared the fuck out of me. I wanted so desperately to keep her, but I knew I shouldn’t. The longer she remained with me, the more likely she was to be hurt.

  I drummed my fingers on my thigh impatiently as I watched out the windshield of the truck, concealed between the trees along the side of the road. The soft white-yellow glow of headlights swept along the powerlines, sending adrenaline pumping through my veins as the large box truck came around the curve.

  “Time to move.”

  Half a mile ahead, one of my SUVs pulled onto the road, forcing the box truck to slow down. Rodrigo pressed down on the gas pedal and pulled onto the road behind him. The truck was older, covered in dust and dirt, and I desperately hoped this was the transport we were looking for. In the first SUV, Xavier hit the brakes hard, and the driver of the box truck did the same, sliding to a screeching halt in the middle of the dark road.

  “Let’s see if this is our guy.”

  I threw open my door, ready to question the driver. Just as my feet hit the pavement, bright flashes of light came from up ahead, and the loud report of gunshots pierced the air. Guess that answered my question. The window next to me shattered, the sound of tinkling glass mingling with the soft whiz of a bullet as it zipped past my head. I dropped to a crouch behind the open door, returning fire blindly as bullets rained down around us, the sound of lead piercing steel filling the night air.

  “Watch your aim!” I called out. The last thing we needed was for dozens of rounds to penetrate the back of the truck and jeopardize the cargo inside. I risked a peek around the edge of the door and jerked back as a round pierced the metal in front of me with a solid thunk. Stretching over the door panel, I let loose with another volley of shots and
was rewarded by a guttural cry as one of my bullets hit its mark.

  “One down,” I said into the communications system in my ear.

  “Two,” came Xavier’s response. “Driver is down with a chest wound.”

  Around us, everything fell completely, utterly silent, but I didn’t trust it for a second. I had no idea how many men were inside the vehicle, but I was betting on at least two more.

  “I want one of them alive.” Pistol raised, I carefully approached the back of the box truck.

  A flash from the muzzle of the man lying on the ground exploded, and heat flared along my side, followed by an intense burning sensation. I let out a growl and popped off two more rounds, and the sound of metal hitting the pavement met my ears.

  Gritting my teeth, I pushed down the pain exploding along my side and focused on the task at hand. My warm breath curled upward as it left my mouth, then dissipated into the cool night air as I scanned our surroundings. The driver of the truck lay facedown on the asphalt, a dark pool of blood spreading beneath his body. Xavier stepped over him, pistol trained on the cab of the truck while Rodrigo did the same on the passenger side. I watched as a man appeared in the opening, hands raised. “Don’t shoot.”

  In response, Rodrigo grabbed the man and yanked him out of the cab, forcing him to his knees. The man’s eyes were wide and filled with fear as he stared up at me. Over his shoulder, I flicked a glance at my men. “Is that all?”

  They did a quick sweep of the cab, and Rodrigo nodded. “Affirmative.”

  I studied the man at my feet. “Who contracted the shipment?”

  “I don’t know shit!” The man panted out.

  “Who do you work for?”

  He shook his head. “I don’t know his name.”