Lifting off and out of me, then rolling onto his side, arm propping his head up, he traced circles on my stomach. “I don’t think that’s it at all. I think it’s you. You’ve managed to burrow under my skin and into my psyche. There’s something about you, Miss McAllister. Not to mention you’re remarkable in bed.”
He bent forward and kissed my shoulder, bringing about goosebumps.
I twisted, facing him with a satisfied smile coating my face. “You’re not so bad yourself, Jagger Reed.”
Moving into each other, it was as far as we got. My cell pealed out into the quiet. Sighing, I rolled back over and picked it up, not recognizing the number.
“Hello?” It was Officer Kent. Sitting up straighter, I leaned against the headboard. Jagger lifted an eyebrow, otherwise he remained neutral.
On the other end of the line, Officer Kent proceeded to inform me of Mrs. Radcliffe’s possible whereabouts. They’d tracked her bank accounts and discovered she’d withdrawn money early this morning from a bank in Great Falls, Montana.
Shit. “Great Falls? So they’re over the state line? What happens now?”
I didn’t need to glimpse Jagger to feel him tense up beside me.
I listened keenly, happy to learn there were police investigating in the State of Montana. They would search for her car and ask around to see if anyone recognized Dallas. It was a start. Information we wouldn’t have been able to garner on our own.
“Yes. Thank you. Please let us know if you find out anything else. Sure thing. Goodbye.”
Ending the call, I risked a peek at Jagger, who was scowling at me. “They’re in fucking Montana?”
“Yeah. Mrs. Radcliffe drew some money out of her bank account there this morning. They’re looking into it.”
Faster than I could respond, he was up and off the bed, searching for his clothes. The bags were still in the car, so he stalked out to get them after throwing on his boxers.
I heard the front door slam, followed by the trunk of the car, and then the front door again. His heavy footsteps pounded the floor, and then he was with me again, putting the bags down and pulling out shirts and jeans.
“Get dressed, Rose. We’re going on a road trip.”
“What? We can’t just go chasing after them across the country. They could have moved on.”
“You can either come with me or I’ll take a damn bus. Either way, I’m going to get my brother.”
He was desperate and not thinking clearly, but I knew he wasn’t going to change his mind. If I had a sibling and they were in the same position as Dallas, I’d probably be acting the same way. He didn’t have money to get a bus, let alone a motel. Like it or not, I had told Jagger I was in this until the end. I wouldn’t let him down. But it was six o’clock in the evening. It would do us no good to go charging off tonight. Best to wait until morning. I just had to reason with him.
“I will go with you. I’ll drive you there myself if I have to, but not tonight. You need to see that we’ll be far better off if we leave at the first sign of light in the morning. We can pack now, eat, and have an early night, and then rise with the birds. Traffic will be better. We can put a full day of driving in and knock it over in two days.”
He was shaking his head. “But they could be gone. We need to act now.” He stood gloriously in front of me with nothing but his tight black boxers and a scowl on his face.
“It doesn’t matter, does it? We’ve still got to cover a huge distance. We need to face facts that they could still be gone by the time we get there, even if we leave right now.”
He blinked heavily, his gaze cutting me like a laser. I could tell he was thinking it through. Turning and walking to the bedroom window, he stopped and stared out. “I don’t know what the fuck to do, Rose. Jesus. It’s all doing my head in. I can see your logic, but everything in me is screaming to get to Montana as soon as possible. Every second we wait could mean they’re getting further and further away.”
I closed the gap, wrapping my arms around him from behind, our bare skin touching. “I understand how eager you are. I’d be the same, but we’ve just driven to Prescott and back today. You only got released this morning. Let’s order take out for dinner and give ourselves a little time to plan. The police will keep us updated. They’ve got men on it. They won’t get far without being followed.”
He let go an extended sigh, turning, and taking me in his strong arms. “It’s killing me to be away from him. I swear if he comes to grief in any way, I will go rage on someone.”
Kissing his chest and then pressing my cheek to it, I said, “I don’t doubt that for a second.”
His heart was a wild tempo, his skin nice and warm. We remained silent for a few minutes before he finally said, “Okay. We’ll do this your way, but I want to be up at four in the morning.”
Just the words four in the morning had me shivering. I wasn’t a morning person. Not that early, anyway. I’d need a good strong cup of coffee on the road to get me going.
“You have yourself a deal.”
Wilting into him with relief at knowing we weren’t racing off right now, I let him hold me some more before dialing the number for pizza. For a few hours we could be normal and pretend we weren’t about to embark on an epic search for Dallas.
***
I was being shaken. A dream. It had to be a dream. I’d only just gone to sleep, hadn’t I? Ugh. Why wasn’t it stopping?
Automatically opening my eyes, I couldn’t see a thing because it was pitch black.
“Rose. Time to get up.”
It took me a moment to realize who was dragging me out of a fitful sleep and why.
“Ugh. It’s too early. Are you sure we can’t leave at six?”
“No. Get up or I’m taking your car and going without you.”
I knew he wasn’t bluffing about that, either. He’d conceded to leaving on our trip this morning instead of last night, so I had to honor my part of the deal and rise. It was just that my body didn’t feel like responding to my brain’s command. I could feel myself dozing again before jerking fully awake.
There was movement on the bed and then nothing. Ten seconds later the light nearly blinded me. I shut my eyes and put my head under the pillow.
“For God’s sake! You didn’t need to do that. I would have got up.”
“No, you wouldn’t have. I’m doing you a favor.” The bed dipped again and the pillow was being pried from my fingers.
“I’ll pick you up and carry you like I did yesterday.”
Did I even want to call him out on that one? No. He didn’t make promises without carrying them out. Sitting up, I swung my legs over the side of the bed, rubbing my eyes, wishing I wasn’t about to drive through numerous states of our huge country. The thought alone had my bones groan with fatigue. Placing my head in my hands, I mustered up my alter ego. Positive Rose. Energetic Rose. The ‘I love getting up so frigging early,’ Rose. She didn’t want to come out and play. Glaring at Jagger, who infuriatingly looked like he was ready to conquer Everest with his chipper energy and ‘I always look this good when I crawl out of bed so early,’ look. Damn him.
“Fine. Let me grab a quick shower and get dressed.”
“Five minutes. Be ready in five.”
God. Bossy ass. I should be calling the shots. We were using my car, fuel, and money to get us there. We should be making the trek on my watch, not his.
Huffing and walking to the closet to grab a pair of jeans and a tank, I rummaged in my drawers for some underwear and made my way into the bathroom, not wanting to cause an argument.
The hot water helped re-energize me as I immersed my head under the hard spray. It was going to be a long day. I couldn’t believe we were doing this. I just hoped for Jagger’s sake that something would come of it and we weren’t beginning a wild goose chase.
My mother would have kittens if she knew what I was up to, which was why I’d never tell her. I didn’t need her disapproval. I could make my own decisions. She would tell
me all the reasons why I was being irresponsible, and I just didn’t want to hear it.
With barely enough time to soap myself, Jagger was banging on the door. “Hurry up, woman. You still need to pack a bag.”
Ugh. I preferred sexy, smoldering Jagger to demanding hothead.
“I’ll be out in a minute!” I hollered, hoping he’d go away and let me do what I had to.
Toweling off, I made light work of getting dressed and stepped into the bedroom to find Jagger gone and the bags of his new clothes gone too. He must have re-loaded them into the trunk.
Deciding I’d probably need warm clothes, I tossed enough items for a week into my bag. I was due back at work the following Monday, so regardless if we had found Dallas or not, I’d have to hightail it out of wherever we ended up and head home.
I wasn’t sure where that would leave Jagger because he had no vehicle, and I’d need mine. We’d cross that bridge when we came to it.
Adding some snacks from the cupboard to my bag, I made sure the windows and doors were secure before meeting Jagger at my car. The engine was running and he was in the front seat, raring to go.
“Are we resting overnight somewhere on the way or are you planning on driving it in one go?” I asked, after placing my bag in the open trunk and then taking my seat beside Jagger, who’d obviously taken it upon himself to be the driver.
I didn’t mind being the passenger, especially on such a journey, and I knew he liked to feel as if he were doing something to help get his brother back, so I kept quiet.
“I’d like to drive straight through, but considering it’ll take eighteen hours, we’ll need to stop.”
Nodding, I buckled up and settled in for the long haul as we reversed out and began our expedition.
Chapter Five
Jagger
I was taking over the search for my brother. If Rose had her way, she’d sit back and let the police handle it. I needed to do more than wait at her place for the next phone call. With us and the police on Mrs. Radcliffe’s tail, surely we’d find my brother quicker. That was my logic and I was sticking to it.
After a serious fuck session with Miss Prim and Proper last night, I wanted nothing more than to spend the day in bed with her. My entire lower half was still buzzing from my explosive orgasm. Just thinking about it had me hardening again. I shouldn’t damn well be. I was on a mission and it didn’t involve lewd thoughts about the ridiculously hot woman beside me. Family came first. Family and sex did not go well in the same sentence.
Gripping the wheel, I wound my window down to let in some fresh air. I could see Rose glance at me in my peripheral vision but she kept quiet. Probably just figured I was stressing about Dallas, which I was, but that wasn’t what had me needing to douse my flames.
A man could really fall for a woman of her caliber. She had it all. Brains. Body. Self-sufficiency. The whole package and she was the real deal.
I heard a food wrapper crinkle and knew she had broken into the snacks. We hadn’t eaten breakfast before leaving. I couldn’t have her skipping meals because of me, regardless of the situation. We’d make good time with the light traffic at this time of the morning. We could afford to pull in somewhere to eat.
“You want to stop and get coffee and some real food?” I glanced over to find her mouth open, just about to take a bite of a Snickers bar. It flooded my mind with images of her lips around my cock, not helping my ‘situation’ any.
Chewing and swallowing she said, “Sure. I’m starving. Your choice. I could eat anything.”
Raising my eyebrows, I challenged her. “Anything?”
“God, you have a dirty mind.” She was smart and quick to interpret things.
“When it comes to you, my mind is always in the gutter. Perhaps a little head job while driving later?”
Her jaw dropped but I could see the twinkle in her eyes. “Yeah, that will be an accident waiting to happen.”
Laughing at her reaction, I said, “That wasn’t a no. I’ll hold you to it.”
About ten miles up the road, I veered off into a truck stop. I filled up the tank with gas while Rose went inside and paid and got us some coffees and ordered a bacon and egg breakfast. There was a restaurant attached to the gas station and four large trucks parked to the side in designated bays. Apart from that, the place was deserted.
Moving the car into a parking spot, I met Rose inside and we sat at a table to await our breakfast. Coffees came first, which gave us a little sustenance.
“You know I’m going to pay you back double, right?”
Smiling, she warmed me with her eyes. “You don’t have to do that.”
“I do. As soon as we get Dallas home, I’m getting a job so I can reimburse you. I pay my way, Rose.”
“Well, you’re not paying me double. I’d rather you spent it on your brother. Pay back what you owe and we’ll be square.”
Stubborn woman. I’d find a way to pay her back extra, whether it be cash or gifts.
In half an hour we had devoured our massive breakfast and were on the road again. I wanted to cover quite a bit of ground before stopping again. If we could make it to Page which was just over three hundred miles away, I’d be happy.
It was nice to have company. For the most part, Rose kept up her end of the conversation. We kept it light, commenting on the passing scenery out the window, music tastes, movies, etcetera. Sometimes there was a comfortable silence. I didn’t feel like I had to constantly speak while in her company, which was nice.
In those moments, my mind wandered to my brother, but I attempted to focus on good memories and not bad. The pleasant ones consisted of the times it had just been the two of us. Me listening to Dallas master the piano he so loved. We’d sit for hours on weekends after Mom died, while our father was either out of it or just out, side by side on the piano stool focused on music. It was something Dallas connected with and he seemed to come alive when his fingers ran over the keys. It truly was remarkable to watch. In many ways, I had been more of a father to Dallas than the bastard we lived with. As far as he knew, the piano just sat there and probably never got used. There was a lot he didn’t know about or care to find out. He’d wiped us from his heart before we’d even had the chance to make an impression. We tried. Oh, how we tried, but after a while of being ignored or yelled at, we’d given up. As horrible as his rage had been, at times it had been the only way he knew we existed.
Arriving at Page, we welcomed the chance to stretch our legs and refuel on caffeine and food. It would be a quick stop, but one we both needed.
Page was a small town typical of Arizona’s arid landscape. Traffic was light in the main hub, so I found a café easily. We parked out front and strolled inside.
The place only had a few patrons, which suited me fine. I didn’t do crowds.
“You want to eat here or in the car?” I asked.
“Let’s eat here. Give ourselves a short break. I need to use the restroom. Can you order me another coffee and a turkey club sandwich?”
“Yep, and I’ll grab a table.”
Traveling hadn’t been on my immediate plans when I’d been released from prison, and especially not under the current circumstances, but I was glad Rose was by my side. Having someone to help keep me from losing my shit was an asset I needed.
Locating a table for two by the front window, I sat after giving the waitress our orders. I’d decided on a bacon avocado burger.
If my cellmate Cut was alive and could see me now, he’d be giving me his smart mouth about hooking up with our teacher. He knew right from the start I was smitten, but I hadn’t admitted it to him.
My chest ached from the hole his passing had left. Behind his rough exterior and criminal ways was a man who had become my closest friend while locked up. Someone who always had my back. His overdose had wrecked me, considering the fact I’d been seducing Miss McAllister while he’d been taking his last breath. I carried a certain amount of guilt at that, but at the same time, if Cut was still alive and
in prison without me, I wasn’t sure he wouldn’t have gone totally off the rails on his own. I liked to think I had kept him in check as he had done with me.
No one knew what it was like being locked up, feeling like a caged animal with little to no contact with the outside world. When Dallas had stopped visiting, Miss McAllister had been my only link to normalcy. She’d been a breath of fresh air and still was. She helped me function better.
“Penny for your thoughts.”
The woman of the moment sat down opposite me, giving me a genuine smile that warmed my insides.
“Just thinking about Cut. I still miss him.”
“I know. He was your friend. It takes a long time to get over a loss like that.”
Her hand found mine on the table and I let her hold it. “Speaking of friends.” I needed a change of subject. “You never mention anyone. Are you a loner?” I let the smirk spread fully.
Rose scoffed and pulled her hand away as the waitress set our coffees down.
“No. I’m not a loner. Well, at least I wasn’t in LA. Since moving to Arizona, I’ve been too busy with work and uh…helping you out.”
By helping me out, she meant spending every waking hour working to get me freed from prison and then not getting any time to breathe before taking on my brother. Guilt crushed me.
“I’m sorry for that. You shouldn’t be wasting all your spare time on me and Dallas. I’ve told you before, you’ve done enough.”
Sipping her drink while staring at me, she replied, “What else am I going to do in Buckeye? It’s not exactly buzzing with potential BFF’s. Besides, there’s worse things I could be doing than be on a road trip with you.”
Shit, she was sweet. “If you say so.” Wiggling my eyebrows, I added, “I’ll make it worth your while.”
“Is that all you think about, Jagger?” She chuckled.
“For the most part. Yes. When it comes to you, anyway.”
Her cheeks pinked ever so slightly. I remembered them the same color the night before when she’d come undone underneath me, hair all tousled, eyes wild. She was a force to be reckoned with. The thought of her returning to her job in the prison as a writing teacher left me nervous. I knew she could handle herself, but I also knew how hot she was and how the other inmates spoke about her behind her back. They were hungry for female flesh and would do anything to get a piece of her. Fresh inmates were being incarcerated all the time, and while I knew most of the guys that had been in our class, that would change over time.
Stealing Dallas (Search & Seek Book 2) Page 5