Chip sprang to his feet, stretched and trotted after him. The door banged shut behind them.
MacGyver waited until they were alone before he knelt beside her chair. “For the record, I never believed you stole the money, but I should have told you the truth from the beginning. Sorry, Champ.”
“Yes, you should have, but I hardly have room to talk. Maybe we could start again?”
He leaned toward her until he was so close she could feel the heat emanating from his body. Butterflies took flight in her stomach. Was he going to kiss her?
“I like that idea.” He murmured the words a hair’s breadth from her mouth before he sucked her bottom lip between his teeth and nipped, following the sting with the soothing stroke of his tongue.
So many reasons this was a bad idea. The words to stop him caught in her throat, and she never uttered them. Instead, her traitorous body hummed with need, and reasoning became a chore she was no longer capable of.
Kellie trembled as he drew her toward him. His lips and tongue traced a heated path across her jaw to her earlobe. He moved her hair aside to bare her throat and kiss the spot that throbbed and pulsed with every beat of her wild heart. Her nipples hardened against the lace of her bra, and she pressed shamelessly against him, unable…or unwilling to heed the warnings that sounded continuously in her head.
She gasped as he flicked his thumb over one swollen peak. His arm circled her waist and pulled her flush with his hard, muscled body. A moan escaped when his hand burrowed beneath her shirt and found the bare skin of her stomach, then moved upward until he grazed the swell of her breast.
A wicked grin curved his lips, and he pulled the cup of her bra down, freeing the swollen nipple to his touch. She drew a shuddering breath, and an ache of yearning shot straight to her core.
Suddenly, he stood, pulling her up, lifting her until she sat on the edge of the table. Parting her knees, he stepped between her legs and hauled her against the hard thickness of his manhood. The heat of his closeness awoke parts of her she’d nearly forgotten about, and she wrapped her legs around his hips, needing to be closer.
What am I doing? I have to find Anna. I should be concentrating on that—not wondering how he’d feel inside me. This is foolish and wrong. But stopping would have taken more strength than she possessed.
She fisted his jacket and pulled his head to her lips. He obliged, covering her mouth, devouring her, his heady, masculine scent overwhelming her senses.
He slid his hand between their bodies, undid the button of her jeans and slipped inside to cup her throbbing mound. He swallowed her moan as he worked his thumb over her swollen center while he slipped two fingers inside her channel, slick with her need. Pressure built, expanding within her. She squirmed against him, seeking release from the crescendo of sweet torment. When she’d reached a feverish turmoil, with no alternative but to combust and fly apart, he rolled her aroused bits between thumb and forefinger, and she shattered into a million tiny shards.
When her trembling finally stopped, MacGyver still rocked her, his face buried in her neck, while his large hands traced comforting circles on her back. My God! The man had played her body like an instrument.
Coming apart in his arms, being intimate and vulnerable with a man she hadn’t known existed two days ago, had to be the dumbest thing she’d ever done—but she’d just climaxed harder and quicker than she’d thought possible, making it damn hard to feel remorse. Besides, his large body wrapped around hers, holding her as though she were someone special, felt right. Maybe she was the bimbo Tony’s uncle had thought she was, because all she could think about was wanting more.
After a few minutes, he unwound his arms and leaned back enough to look at her. A crooked grin lifted one corner of his mouth. “Are you okay? I didn’t mean for that to happen but—”
He didn’t mean to? Kellie felt the slow burn of humiliation as she pushed him away and shoved herself from the table. “Of course not. Neither did I. We were simply caught up in the moment—relieved that everything’s out in the open. It didn’t mean anything, and it won’t happen again. Let’s agree to forget this lapse in judgment.” The words tumbled out, one after the other, with apparently no direct connection to her brain. Her face tingled with the influx of blood that was no doubt creating blotches on her cheeks.
MacGyver frowned as he gripped her arms, stopping her escape. In spite of her hands braced on his chest, he pulled her in for a slow, smoldering kiss. He smiled when he pulled back to see her face again. “You didn’t let me finish. I didn’t mean to let that happen, but I’m not sorry it did. There’s not a chance I’ll ever forget how you respond to my kiss—my touch. Or how soft your skin is—how we fit together. I damn sure won’t forget those sexy sounds you make when you come.” He brushed her hair behind her shoulders. “And darlin’, if I live to be a hundred, I won’t forget what it felt like for you to trust me that much.”
He kissed her again, then pushed her an arm’s length away. “I have to go before Charlie busts through that door to see what’s taking me so long. But, I’d like to come back and explore whatever this thing is between us. Can we agree on that?”
Kellie wanted that more than she cared to admit, but it was crazy to continue on this path, wasn’t it? She didn’t know anything about him, and though she’d spilled her guts, telling him far more than she’d intended, he didn’t know everything about her either. There were still things she hadn’t told him. Things he might hold against her. No, it would be better for both of them if they stopped here before they got in too deep.
He had the sexiest damn smile she’d ever seen. She smiled back, and the pendulum of her doubts swung back the other way. “I’d like that.”
His pupils dilated, and desire shone from his normally controlled countenance. He kissed her one last time, and then he was gone, running down the stairs. She dropped her head into her hands.
Wait. Did I just say that out loud?
Chapter Eleven
“Hey, Bro. It’s about damn time. I thought we might have to go looking for your sorry ass.” At the stove, Travis stirred a pot of something that smelled good enough to eat, while Blake smirked, opened the refrigerator door and perused the contents. US Marshal Jeremy Dahl carried plates and silverware to the table, as though he hadn’t just held Kellie at gunpoint.
Apparently, the dust had settled after the whoop-ass she’d heaped on their intruder. Travis seemed satisfied the marshal didn’t pose a danger. Hell, even the damn dog thought Jeremy was okay, excitedly greeting him and the others with maniacal wags of his tail. Who was MacGyver to argue with either Travis or Chip?
Still don’t trust the guy.
“Where’s Kellie?” Jeremy stared back at him with an equal amount of suspicion.
MacGyver’s first instinct was to ignore the man’s question. It wasn’t any of his business. The marshal had lost any federal rights he’d had when he pulled a gun on them, using his creds only as a last resort.
On the other hand, MacGyver wanted answers from him, and starting off with distrust on both sides was counterproductive. “She needed some time to clear her head. You dropped quite a bombshell on her. Can’t say I agree with the way you broke the news about her sister, and pulling a gun on Kellie could easily have gotten you killed.”
“I had my reasons, but I didn’t mean her any harm—or you, for that matter.”
Charlie stalked to the open refrigerator, grabbed three bottles of Bud Light and motioned toward the table, partially set with six places. “Let’s get to those reasons, Marshal.”
MacGyver stifled a grin as he pulled out a chair and sat. He accepted the beer Charlie placed in front of him, twisted the cap and lifted the longneck to his lips, staring over it at Jeremy, who hadn’t moved. The guy had balls—he’d give him that. Even with an empty holster, his confidence never wavered. MacGyver pointed to the chair across from him until, with a frown,
Jeremy joined them at the table.
“My daughter disappeared a year ago while working for that scum, Tony Palazzi.” Charlie hissed the name. “How is it only you know where she is?”
Jeremy took a swallow from his beer and set it on the table, heaving a resigned sigh. “What I’m about to tell you must remain confidential. Not because the US Marshal’s Office says so, but because if Palazzi finds out where Anna is, she won’t be alive for long.”
MacGyver exchanged a glance with Charlie, then swept his attention back to Jeremy. “Witness protection?”
Jeremy nodded. “Anna witnessed a murder while working at Tony’s club. John Farino, a young cop, stumbled into something way above his pay grade one night in the parking lot. Left a wife and two-year-old twin boys. Anna was just getting off work, and she walked right into the middle of it.” Jeremy jerked a hand through his hair.
“She was lucky. Palazzi liked her.” The sarcasm in the marshal’s words was unmistakable. “Instead of killing her and making her body disappear along with Farino’s, he took her upstairs. Kept her for seventeen days, chained like a dog. Fed her once a day—scraps from the tables downstairs. She was blindfolded, drugged and repeatedly raped.”
Shit! The bile rose in MacGyver’s throat as every muscle, bone and fiber in his body hungered for justice. Thank Christ Kellie wasn’t here. Charlie’s jaw was set in resolute silence, but his fists clenched and he sat forward, forearms on the table. MacGyver had seen that look before. Charlie would kill Palazzi with his bare hands if he were here. Yeah, and I’d back him up.
Noise no longer came from the cooking area. Travis and Blake stood unmoving, arms braced on the counter, the same looks on their faces as Charlie’s. They were all in agreement—even Jeremy, apparently.
The marshal’s hand shook as he reached for his beer, then set it down without taking a drink. “If anyone deserved the oblivion of Stockholm syndrome, Anna did.” He shook his head and laughed. “She’s so goddamned strong, it puts me to shame. And smart. She convinced him he’d brainwashed her into thinking he was her only salvation. Pretended to believe his bullshit. That he loved her and didn’t want to hurt her—that he was doing it so he could eventually set her free. The thought of what she must have done to convince him makes me sick…but it worked.
“He started giving her more freedom. After a while, he let her go outside and walk down the street as long as he was with her. He got cocky. Started making mistakes. The first chance she got, she ran. When she reached California, she went to the cops. As soon as they heard Tony Palazzi’s name, they called us.”
MacGyver leaned forward. “I know cops don’t like cops getting killed, but Las Vegas isn’t federal jurisdiction.”
“Palazzi was already on our radar for a murder two months before the cop—one where the victim, a known gun runner, ended up in California in a burned-out car. Anna not only worked at the club during that time, she’d been in Palazzi’s penthouse and could identify many of his associates. Witness protection was the only way to guarantee her safety.”
“If you’ve got him on this other murder, why isn’t he off the street?” Charlie’s low voice came off more like a growl.
“We don’t have enough evidence for an indictment yet…but we’re not giving up.”
“Okay, let’s cut to the chase. Why did you just happen to go to work for Palazzi at the same time he coerced Kellie into marrying him?” MacGyver didn’t put much stock in coincidences so the marshal’s answer better be good.
Jeremy frowned. “Anna read all the news from Vegas she could find. She saw Kellie’s picture in the paper and learned she was going to marry Palazzi.” Jeremy’s index finger tapped the side of his head. “I told you she was smart. She knew her sister would never marry him. Hell, she’d gotten so many lectures from Kellie on staying away from him, Anna knew Kellie wouldn’t even stand in the same room with the man.
“Anna begged and badgered me until I agreed to go to Vegas and check it out. But not unless she agreed to stay with my uncle, Congressman Norwell, where she’d have built-in security twenty-four/seven.”
“Fuck!” Travis threw his hands in the air.
MacGyver scowled. “So…I take it the congressman’s daughter wasn’t really worried about her missing boyfriend. Mind telling me why the hell we are here?”
“That’s where it all gets a little sketchy. The plan was to get Kellie out of the Dominion as close to the time of the wedding as possible so Palazzi would be otherwise occupied. I needed someone I could trust to hand her off to so he would follow me. My uncle’s good friend, Senator Harding, suggested your new security company. Said you were the best around. I understand one of your partners is the senator’s son.”
“I told you word of mouth was the best advertisement,” Travis said.
MacGyver ignored him. “Why not have one of your own catch the pass?” He probably had at least two hundred marshals and deputy marshals in Las Vegas alone he could have chosen from. Why outsource?
Jeremy shrugged. “I wasn’t exactly on the clock. It was more of a favor for a friend.”
“Are you shittin’ me? The feds don’t have your back on this?” Blake slapped his hand on the counter and laughed. “That’s one hell of a plan!”
“What made you think Palazzi would follow you?” The hitch at the corner of the marshal’s mouth gave MacGyver the answer. “You stole the fucking money, didn’t you?”
“I stole it and hid it because I needed a diversion. Then I called a friend of mine from the DOJ, told him where to find the cash and asked him to keep it quiet as long as he could. I was ready to tell Kellie everything and get her out of there. My uncle was set to contact you and tell you where to pick her up. Something made her jump and run before I could get to her. Damn it!” Jeremy raked a hand through his hair.
“Yeah, that something was overhearing Palazzi say he planned to kill her. She took off. Called Charlie and told him to disappear. What I don’t get is why you lied to Travis and me. Or why you tried to kidnap Kellie when we got here instead of telling her who you were.” MacGyver stared him down and waited.
“I can see now that was a mistake, but I was trying to stay below both Palazzi’s and the Justice Department’s radar. The less you knew until you had to, the better. Then you took off with Kellie and wouldn’t reply to my uncle’s texts. I had to protect Anna, and that meant getting Kellie away from you, without giving up any information that might endanger either one of them. You wouldn’t be the first men swayed by the thought of a nice payoff for delivering her to Palazzi.” Jeremy leaned back, grabbed his beer and took a long swallow.
MacGyver studied him over the rim of his bottle as he brought it to his mouth. As much as it still angered him that the marshal had tried to take Kellie at gunpoint from her family’s cabin, he could see Jeremy’s point. He’d made the best of a bad situation, and MacGyver couldn’t fault him for being careful.
“Wait a minute. How in the hell did you know Kellie would stumble into the right bar? One where the only man in Vegas you trusted to help her was waiting?” Travis shook his head, clearly skeptical.
“The congressman had already arranged for you to be at Wally’s Tavern. Originally, I planned to bring her there myself, tell you as much as I needed to in order to gain your cooperation and have you keep her out of sight until my uncle or I contacted you. After she took off, getting Kellie there was a crapshoot, and, frankly, I wasn’t sure it would work. I had five seconds to pass her a note and convince her I was a friend. At the time, I don’t think she was into making new friends.” He glanced at MacGyver. “Do you believe in miracles?”
MacGyver sat back. He’d seen some weird shit since he became a SEAL. Miracles happened for damn sure, but sometimes you had to make your own. “I don’t know whether I’d call it a miracle, but this isn’t our first mission held together with a Band-Aid and a prayer.”
After hearin
g Marshal Dahl’s story, MacGyver took a few minutes to officially introduce Charlie, gave Travis an update and grabbed his handgun, cell phone and a jacket for Kellie.
Travis forced a container full of the chili he’d been cooking into MacGyver’s hands at the last minute. “Kellie’s probably hungry by now. Take your time coming back. If this storm lets loose, the roads will be a bitch.”
MacGyver studied his friend until he turned toward the table and his unfinished meal. What the hell? Had Travis given him the go-ahead to spend some uninterrupted time with Kellie? Did he know how badly MacGyver wanted just that? Not that it made a difference with Kellie’s stepdad looking on, a concerned frown creasing his forehead.
“That’s right.” Charlie nodded his agreement. “If I know my daughter, she probably hasn’t eaten since she ran out on her wedding. She won’t want to stop now either, but maybe she’ll listen to you.”
Aw, hell. Obviously, the old man didn’t have a clue how far MacGyver’s thoughts were from food. “I’ll see what I can do, Charlie.” Damned if he didn’t feel like a heel.
Blake had been quiet the last thirty minutes or so. MacGyver had intended to get to the bottom of his problem with Kellie but gave up on the idea after hearing the howl of the wind and seeing the darkness that had covered the forest while they’d been talking.
As MacGyver left Charlie’s cabin to retrieve Kellie, the storm that had been brewing all evening unleashed its fury, dropping rain by the bucketful. Lightning crisscrossed the sky, followed by cataclysmic thunder that made him flinch with every deafening crash. Water ran across the sloping roadbed in sheets.
Flooding might be an issue at lower levels if this kept up. Lightning streaking toward the ground every few seconds brought with it the danger of forest fires if the rain stopped. They were screwed either way.
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