I.N.E.T 5

by Brenda Cothern

  Randy nodded. He wasn’t worried about snow. “Should make our job easier.”

  He nodded toward Burke. She appeared to be totally engrossed in her novel, but Randy was sure Lita didn’t buy her act any more than he did. Lita understood his comment referred to potential cartel attacks, too, though Randy wanted to believe they were safe from that complication. He wanted to, but reminded himself he thought they were safe at the previous safe houses, as well.

  “Camping stove it is, then,” Randy commented and stood to get a refill.

  Lita watched Randy head to the kitchen. The man was sexy as sin. Lita couldn’t help but remember how he tasted and how good his partner felt pressed against him. Add being snowed in to those memories and Lita was thinking of all sorts of scenarios which were totally inappropriate while they had a job to do. However, regardless of how inappropriate or reminding himself they were working, those ideas seem to take root. Lita shifted in his seat in an effort to find a more comfortable position for his suddenly hard cock.

  Randy turned, met his gaze, and raised a questioning brow before he smirked. Totally busted, Lita thought and couldn’t help but grin and shoot his partner a wink.

  Randy felt Lita’s eyes tracking his progress to the kitchen. It wasn’t as if there were more than fifteen steps to get to the coffee pot, but he felt his partner watching him just the same. He delayed meeting Lita’s gaze until after he poured his coffee. Not only because he didn’t want Lita to see how his partner’s gaze was currently affecting him. That was part of it, but avoiding Lita’s beautiful green eyes had more to do with trying to ensure his desire was masked in his own gaze.

  There wasn’t a damn thing he could do about his cock, now straining against his zipper, aside from keeping his lower body hidden behind the counter. Still, the flirt in him that he thought had died a long, long time ago decided to make an appearance. He smirked at his partner and raised a brow. Randy had no doubt Lita was aware he was busted checking him out. His partner didn’t seem to care if his grin and wink were anything to go by.

  Randy stood there for several moments. Neither of them moving or looking away and watching Lita shift in his seat told Randy he wasn’t the only one whose jeans were suddenly uncomfortable. Still, there wasn’t a damn thing either of them could do to find relief. Alone or with one another. Burke was too much of a flight risk for them to indulge in anything remotely sexual. Hell, they shouldn’t even have touched let alone kissed back when they abandon the car.

  Randy broke his eye contact with Lita and turned to the soup which was simmering away. It looked and smelled much better than the nastiness it was while in the can. He stirred the soup and glanced at the steaks. They would have steak with a side of soup for dinner.

  Lita watched Randy tend to the soup and remove it from the burner. His partner pulled a pan with rivets to simulate a grill from the cabinet. It took Randy seconds to open the steaks, season them, and put them on the pan. Once they were started, Randy pulled out camping plates to go with the bowls and flatware already on the counter.

  “You want to bring that big heater out here?” Randy said without looking at him.

  It wasn’t until Randy mentioned the larger of the two propane heaters that Lita became aware of how chilly the house felt. He’d been too absorbed in his partner to notice the temperature in the main part of the house. Granted, Randy was wearing a sweatshirt just like Burke even though she was under the blanket he’d used that morning.

  Lita should have been somewhat cold even though he wore two T-shirts. His arms were bare and he could now feel dampness where his hair lay over his shoulders. He’d been so distracted eyeing up his partner that he hadn’t felt cold at all.

  “Sure,” Lita replied and leaned forward to set his cup on the coffee table before he stood.

  Randy didn’t look over his shoulder toward his partner until he saw Lita was almost to the hallway. He told himself he wouldn’t look at all. Apparently, he didn’t listen because his eyes trailed down Lita’s body from where the man’s long hair almost obscured his muscular back to his ass that looked incredible in black jeans. He was still staring down the hall, following Lita’s ass, when his partner disappeared into the bedroom.

  The sound of the snort came from Burke. He could barely see the top of her head from where he stood, but somehow knew the sound she made had nothing to do with the Dean Koontz novel she may or may not have been actually reading. Burke was intelligent. She was also observant. Two qualities which made her an excellent CIA agent even if she was only twenty-four.

  Randy was more than sure she hadn’t seen his and Lita’s slip up of professionalism before they had abandoned the car after catching her. Neither of them had acted on their attraction after that, either. Hell, they’d spent more time apart than together considering Randy had crashed from exhaustion and Lita left to rent a car in Redding. So, there was no reason for Burke to suspect anything between them, especially since there wasn’t really anything between them.

  At least not yet and likely not until after they delivered her ass to D.C. Still, Randy wouldn’t put it past Burke to have noticed something in their brief interaction when they all sat in the living room. Randy needed to rein in his desire for his partner if for no other reason than to not give Burke any sort of edge. Of course, he should’ve put his professionalism first over giving Burke a weakness she could exploit, but the thought of his professionalism never crossed his mind.

  Lita took his time retrieving the propane heater he had set up that morning to keep Randy warm while he slept. He had felt the itching sensation between his shoulder blades which always warned him he was being watched. The feeling was one that warned him of danger. This time he knew it was because his partner watched him walk down the hall. Lita didn’t stop a smile from spreading his lips. He liked knowing Randy was checking him out just as much as he checked out his partner.

  His smile disappeared when he pulled out his cell phone to check out the information Hunt sent him. Lita figured there was no better time to scan the Intel than right now since he had a few minutes alone.

  Lita, here’s what I found. It took some digging. Connor is shiny clean. His associates and parents are legally as well, but… Here you go.

  Brian Connor – died 2009, age 68.

  Lucy [Brown] Connor – died 1990, age 41.

  Randall William Connor – only child – born 1981.

  Both parents were avid participants in MUFON (UFO shit) and government conspiracy organizations. Brian became more so after the death of his wife. He never remarried and raised Randall on his own. He owned several properties and was a member of two militias whose sole goal was to ensure the rule of law would be maintained after a holocaust. All seven properties Brian owned are located in northern California, Oregon, Washington state, and Alaska. Based on satellite GPS info, they are all way the hell off the beaten track. FYI, you are at one of them. The properties transferred to Randall after his father’s death.

  I’ve got nothing more on Marshal Connor. It just appears his parents were convinced the end of the world was coming either by government conspiracy or an alien invasion. There’s no indication Connor believes the same, but there’s none he doesn’t, either.

  Have fun with that!

  Lita shook his head at Hunt’s smart-ass reply, but didn’t dismiss the Intel his teammate discovered. Randy didn’t seem like a dooms-dayer, but then again Lita really didn’t know what someone who believed the end of the world could come at any time looked like. He didn’t really know the man that well, either. Nothing Hunt sent him indicated Randy was dangerous, so Lita would take the man at face value until he was given cause to do otherwise.

  ##~~##

  Chapter Ten

  Randy noted Lita took longer than necessary to retrieve the heater. He really didn’t give it much thought since he was sure his partner just needed a few minutes to get his arousal under control. Randy didn’t have a doubt Lita was feeling aroused just like him. Lita’s brief delay in b
ringing out the heater was giving them both a chance to settle down, so Randy wasn’t going to complain.

  Randy had plated their steaks and was taking them and the soup to the table when Lita reappeared carrying the propane heater. His partner glanced at Burke as if to reassure himself she was still in the same location before his gaze settled on Randy. Randy only met Lita’s green eyes for a second before he moved back to the kitchen to retrieve plates, bowls, and utensils.

  Lita placed the heater on the floor in a spot which ensured the heat would reach the living room, kitchen, and small eating area before he sparked it back to life. Randy was gathering what they needed to eat, so he approached Burke where she laid on the couch. She kept her nose buried in the book even though Lita knew she was aware he stood behind where her head rested on the arm of the couch.

  “C’mon. It’s time to eat,” Lita told her and she tilted her head to look back at him. “I’m sure I don’t need to tell you I’ll make you eat with your hands if I can’t trust you with utensils.”

  Burke grunted and used her abs like she was doing a sit up to get up from where she lay on the couch. She took her sweet time folding the corner of a page to save her place before she set the closed book on the coffee table. Once she set the book down, she met Lita’s gaze steadily and slowly stood.

  Lita gave her a smile and received an expectant glare in return. He swept an arm out to the side to wave her toward the table. She gave another grunt and he expected her to stomp off to the table. She didn’t, much to his chagrin. So, he just followed her to the table and took a seat after she sat down.

  Randy sat across from Lita with Burke between them. He poured chicken soup into bowls and placed a steak on each of their plates. They each had a fork, spoon, and knife. He had debated giving Burke a knife to cut her steak. Her hands were still cuffed and that would make it a pain in the ass for her to cut her steak. Not impossible, though, but yet the cuffs wouldn’t totally make her incapable of using the knife as a weapon, either. Both he and Lita watched her cut of her steak into bite-size pieces. When she was done, she moved the knife between her hands until she held the blade. She didn’t offer the handle to either of them, but just held it out for one of them to take.

  Lita took the knife Burke offered handle first and gave Randy a nod to indicate his partner should cut up his steak while he kept an eye on Burke. Randy did and Lita followed suit after his partner was finished. They were both leery of the CIA agent. Lita didn’t trust the woman as far as he could throw her. That was pretty fucking far, too. Still, between the fork, the spoon, and hot bowl of soup, he wouldn’t put it past her to try something. So, he removed his sidearm and set it on the far side of the table between him and Randy before he started to eat.

  Burke snorted and barely shot a glance at Lita’s gun. Randy hated the anxiety Burke caused him to feel. Apparently, his partner felt the same tension. Randy hadn’t felt this level of wariness and by extension the possible need to spring into action since his last mission in the Corps. He certainly had never felt this way since he’d joined the Marshals and assumed the duty of protecting someone in WITSEC. To say he didn’t like the feeling was a fucking understatement.

  Randy was tense. Lita was, as well, but Randy wasn’t hiding his discomfort as effortlessly. Of course, on a tension scale of one to ten, the unease caused by Burke’s unpredictability was only a one for Lita. He’d been in to many undercover positions where he had to be prepared for much worse than the CIA agent could even think to throw at them. Still, he was sure that even though Randy was a Marine turned US Marshal the man had never had to deal with someone even close to Burke’s caliber.

  There wasn’t anything Lita could do to help Randy relax where Burke was concerned. Of course, his traitorous mind thought of half a dozen, shit more than a dozen, things that would help his partner relax. But, not a single one had anything to do with their job of keeping Burke safe. Still, those thoughts didn’t stop him from smiling.

  Randy ate faster than normal which was saying a lot since eating fast was ingrained in him from his time in the Corps. His eyes shifted from his soup to Burke. It wasn’t until he felt Lita staring at him that he glanced in his partner’s direction. Lita was smiling at him and he had no idea why. He wasn’t willing to take his eyes off Burke for long enough to decipher his partner’s smile. So, he glanced at Burke and took his last bite of soup.

  The cut of steak Lita bought was good. Too fucking good to be wasted by cooking on the camping stove grill pan. It was a testament to how good the steak actually was that using the camping stove hadn’t cooked it to the point of tasting like shoe leather. In fact, Randy actually patted himself on the back it hadn’t since every cut of beef he’d ever tasted after being cooked on the camping stove always tasted like he was chewing on a boot. Actually, boots might be tenderer.

  Randy stood from the table and collected Lita and Burke’s steak plates along with his dishes. He took them to the kitchen and placed them in the sink. There was no water hook up to the sink even though the house had access to well water. The only plumbing into the house led to the bathroom and Randy never stopped to question why. He would gather snow and melt it since there was no need to retrieve water from the well or waste the water that was stored in the cellar. He also didn’t feel like washing dishes in the bathroom.

  Lita tracked Randy’s movement. His partner put the dishes in the sink before he disappeared down the hall. He was wearing his coat when he returned. A second later, Lita heard clanging from under the kitchen cabinet. Randy stood and held a deep metal pot. Lita just raised a brow in curiosity and received a nod from Randy to indicate his partner was going out the back door.

  Lita turned his attention back to Burke. She finished her soup and made a point of placing her spoon in the metal bowl. He just gave her another smirk and watched her angrily look away. He grabbed her bowl and stacked it under his before dropping his spoon next to hers in the top bowl.

  Lita was about to tell her it was bedtime when Randy came back in through the back door. The metal pot he held was full of snow. Randy only gave him a glance before he set the pot on the still warm burner of the camping stove.

  Why waste stored water to wash dishes when there was snow to melt, Lita thought before he stood. It made total sense to him that anyone schooled in survival techniques would use whatever natural resources they had available instead of wasting supplies they might need later.

  “Do you have my cuffs or are they still attached to the headboard?” Lita asked since he wasn’t willing to allow Burke free rein while they slept.

  Randy had just removed his jacket and thrown it on the counter when Lita stood and spoke. “I’ve got them.” Randy reached behind his back and retrieved the cuffs from the back pocket of his jeans.

  Lita raised his hand and Randy didn’t hesitate to toss the metal restraints to his partner. Lita caught them and gave him a smile. Randy told himself his partner’s smile was one of thanks. Told his dick Lita’s smile didn’t hold any hint of attraction. Neither he nor his dick believed him for a second. So, Randy forced his attention back to the pot of melting snow that he’d use to wash the dishes.

  From the corner of his eye, Randy saw Lita direct Burke toward the hallway. He retrieved the remaining bowls from the table once they disappeared from sight. Randy was halfway through washing the dishes with the warm water from the melted snow by the time Lita returned.

  “She’s locked down,” Lita informed and watched Randy not without looking at him. “I’m gonna get a shower.”

  “All right,” Randy acknowledged and from the corner of his eye saw Lita disappear back down the hall.

  Lita grabbed a towel from the hall closet where he discovered them during his initial search of the house. He also grabbed a change of clothes. Now that the large propane heater was providing warmth for the main part of the house, the bedroom where he dropped their duffel bags was cold. The bathroom was cold as hell, as well. He stripped quickly and only waited till the wat
er was warmer than the air before he stepped under the spray.

  Lita didn’t bother washing his hair. In fact, he made sure he didn’t get it any wetter than it already was from the snow. Wet hair, especially as long and thick as his, in the cold was just inviting getting sick. Lita hated, absolutely hated, being sick. So, he just quickly washed the rest of his body.

  The bullet wound on his arm started bleeding again when he had removed his T-shirt causing the Steri-strips to be ripped off. He ignored the pink tinge of blood that swirled down the drain. It was bleeding impressively now and he cursed. Lita didn’t need a mirror to show him the graze was deep and long enough to warrant stitches. He hadn’t seen any medical supplies during his cursory look around the house, but had no doubt Randy’s father would have some in this doomsday house.

  The small mirror, not even the size of a medicine cabinet, wasn’t even fogged when he stepped out the shower. It was too damn cold and Lita was sure the warmth of the water was only relative to the cold in the air in the room. Lita had no desire to bloody a towel, so he used his dirty T-shirt to dry his wounded arm before he quickly dressed in another T-shirt, jeans, socks, and his boots.

  His arm was bleeding profusely again by the time he finished dressing, so he used his now wet T-shirt to apply pressure to the wound. Lita didn’t bother to pick up his dirty clothes before he exited the bathroom. He’d pick them and Burke’s up after a few stitches.

  Randy dried the dishes and was returning the last plate to the counter when Lita reappeared in the hall. His partner held a T-shirt to his bicep. He mentally cursed himself for not remembering Lita had been shot. The man hadn’t shown any sign he was in pain. He didn’t now, either. Lita claimed it was just a graze and in the dark behind their car it looked like one, too. But, by the obvious pressure he was applying to his injured arm, Randy was beginning to think it was more than just a graze. Then again, maybe the wound just started bleeding again from Lita’s movement and the water from the shower. Yeah, right.