by Tawny Weber
The office was a mess. Clearly someone had a paperwork issue. Piles here, stacks there, the entire room reeked of desperation. Something was falling apart. The manor? Or something else? Whatever it was, Gabriel would make sure it worked to his favor.
“Ham, old buddy,” he greeted with a smile filled with fake charm. “I’ve got a favor.”
“Gabriel?” Flustered, the older man shoved one hand through his graying hair while pushing papers together on his desk with the other. His cheeks flushed, whether from the bottle of gin at his elbow or whatever he’d been doing, Gabriel didn’t know. “What can I do for you?”
“The question is really what I can do for you?” Gabriel set the briefcase on the desk, but didn’t open it. As expected, Ham’s eyes locked on it. His brow furrowed over eyes suddenly gleaming with greed. His fingers spasmed on the papers and he half reached for the leather case before he could stop himself.
“No,” he said with a grimace. Then he shook his head and said, louder and more assured, “No. I’m already employed, Gabriel. I don’t double-cross. I’m not crazy.”
“Double-cross?” His tone was pure offended surprise, but only the offense was fake. “Ham, you say that like a man over his head.”
The spasm wasn’t so easily controlled this time as the older man gave a shudder. His eyes shot around the office, his lips white. Was the room bugged? Ham’s actions, his overall air of drowning in misery, it just gave a little too much credence to the idea that he was a lieutenant, not a general.
Fear that the rest of the FBI’s charge might hold true as well, that his father was involved, trickled down Gabriel’s spine. Refusing to let it take hold, he went into challenge mode.
“Since it’s just you and me here,” he snapped, “let’s cut the bullshit. We both know my father has nothing to do with this gig. He’s done a lot of things, but he doesn’t scare people.”
“You’re fooling yourself if you think your daddy’s lily-white, Gabriel. He’s not even shades of gray.”
“We both know Tobias Black’s criminal days are done. What I don’t know is why he’s being set up to take the fall. Since it suits me to no longer have to compete with his reputation, I don’t care why. What I do care about is making sure that I’m in charge of the new cartel.”
“I told you, that’s not an option. Everybody is equal partners, with only the boss in charge.”
“The boss hasn’t heard my offer yet.”
“I’m not telling you who it is. I’m not making an introduction.”
“But you will. Just as soon as you pass on my message,” Gabriel said, patting the briefcase for emphasis, “your boss is going to be the one asking to meet with me.”
Ham’s eyes shifted to the bottle at his elbow with longing before he heaved a sigh. “Look, take my advice as someone whose known you most of your life and thinks you’re a good guy. Get out of this. Take your charm, your girlfriend and your briefcase and head out. It’s a no-win situation. Especially for you.”
“Why me, especially?” Gabriel waited, tense, while Ham gave in to the shakes and swigged a quick drink of gin straight from the bottle. “Because the identity of the boss will cause me, especially, a problem?”
Ham’s grimace had nothing to do with the cheapness of his drink. Gabriel’s stomach clenched. Real or act? Was the guy trying to make it seem like Tobias was the boss? Or was he really worried that the boss was someone out of Gabriel’s league to deal with?
He had to find out.
Dropping his friendly act, Gabriel slapped both hands on the desk and leaned across the paper-strewn antique to glare into the other man’s face.
“I’m not walking. I have a stake here. In this deal, in this town and in the direction fingers are pointing. So leaving isn’t an option. Nor is sitting in the backseat.”
“The front seat is already occupied,” Ham said, leaning back so his chair squeaked and giving Gabriel a blurry look. “No room for anyone else.”
Time to play his cards.
Gabriel straightened, laid the briefcase flat and unlatched it. Lifting the lid, he turned it so Ham could see the contents. The old guy swallowed loudly, then grabbed the bottle of gin for another swallow.
“I’m not taking bribes,” he said. His words were loud and clear, cementing Gabriel’s suspicion that the room was bugged.
“No bribe, my friend. This is a down payment. It’s been pointed out that everyone else brought something tangible to the table. Guns, drugs, etcetera. I’m simply doing my part. I’m bringing cash.”
“What makes you think we need cash? The boss is plenty loaded.”
“Everybody needs cash,” Gabriel said with a laugh. His hand on the table, he knew it was time to step back and let the game play out. “This is a down payment on my contribution. Fifty thousand now. A mil after I meet with your boss.”
“I’ll pass on the money, but that don’t mean anything,” Ham said, his eyes fixated on the briefcase. “Likely you won’t even get a response. You’re willing to pay fifty large to be ignored?”
“I’m willing to bet fifty large that I won’t be.” Gabriel leaned across the desk again, all semblance of friendliness gone now as his smile went scalpel-sharp. “And Ham, old buddy? If you think about double-crossing me, if you even consider taking this money for yourself and forgetting to pass it and my message on?”
Ham’s Adam’s apple worked as he tried to swallow.
“You do that, and you’ll find out the bottom-line difference between my father and myself. He’s never done anything to scare people.” Gabriel paused, watching Ham’s hand shake on the briefcase for a second before meeting the man’s pale blue gaze. “But me? Only idiots aren’t afraid of me.”
Satisfied with the glaze of terror in the other man’s eyes, Gabriel patted the briefcase, gave Ham a friendly nod, then turned to leave.
He didn’t need one of Danita’s spy devices to know that little conversation had just been transmitted, in full, to whoever’s ass he was going to take down.
11
GABRIEL FIGURED HE HAD to be dreaming. But the pleasure coursing through his body was so strong, so demanding, he couldn’t stay in the warm embrace of sleep. He had to climb out and see if it was real.
Shifting, his heels dug into the soft mattress as cool air wafted over his warm body. A tickling sensation swept down his chest, over his belly. Forcing his eyes open, he turned his head just in time to see Danita’s mouth swallow his hard, swollen dick.
Groaning, he tangled his fingers into the silky strands of hair tickling his belly, delighting in the rhythm she set. Her tongue danced along his aching flesh, soothing before her teeth gently nipped.
His body tightened. What little blood wasn’t already powering his erection drained from his brain so all Gabriel could do was feel. And damn, he felt great.
No longer a sweet gentle climb, passion clawed, demanding release. Control frayed. His body tensed as his heels dug deeper into the mattress.
“Babe,” he gasped his warning, tightening his fingers to warn her to pull her head away. “C’mere.”
“Nope,” she said, looking up the length of his body with sultry eyes filled with feminine power. “I’m busy here.”
And then she proceeded to blow Gabriel, and every shred of his control. Sucking hard on the sensitive head of his dick, her tongue swirled. Her mouth slid up, then down, then up again before she sucked again. Gabriel’s fingers tightened again, trying to pull her back. He wanted more. Wanted to taste her, to pour himself into her.
But she wouldn’t budge. Instead she sucked harder.
And Gabriel exploded. Lights flashed behind his eyes. A groan ripped from his throat. Danita gave a hum filled with power and delight as she swallowed.
Gabriel didn’t know if he should be surprised or embarrassed that he was shaking. Had any woman ever had this much power over him? Had he ever wanted a woman this much?
He tried to reel in his brain cells, but Danita chose that moment to slide her
way up his body.
“Yum,” she said when she reached his mouth. She gave him a warm kiss before snuggling, her face buried in the curve of his throat and her delicious body pressed tight against his. “Now that’s what I call my early-morning wake-up call.”
“That’s what I call fabulous,” he said, his heart still racing. He ran a hand up the silky smooth side of her body until he reached the heavy weight of her breast, resting on his chest. Curving his palm over the hardened tip, he pressed a kiss against the top of her head. “Its turnaround time, babe.”
“Oh, please,” she said, tilting her head back to give him a wide, wicked smile. “I took you down.”
“And did a damned good job of it, too,” he said with a grin that oozed with satisfaction. Then, with a sudden, guilty start, he looked around the room. “Um, where’s Pippi? I don’t want to damage her psyche or anything.”
“Aren’t you cute?” Danita laughed, leaning in to give him the sweetest of kisses. “She was scratching at the window this morning so I let her out to roam.”
“Then we’re alone?” He grinned again. “Then let’s see how fast I can get back in the game.”
Fast was an understatement. He’d had her on her back, ankles draped over his shoulders while she screamed satisfaction within twenty minutes.
And two hours later, Gabriel’s grin had shifted to cocky. He figured he had a right, though. Waking to fabulous sex, then watching Danita fly apart under his mouth not twice, but three incredible times. Yeah, he had all rights to cocky.
“C’mon,” he hurried her again. This time it was with eggs and bacon in mind, though. “Pippi’s napping off her disappointment after her failed morning bird hunt and I want to get to the diner while the biscuits are fresh. A morning filled with hot, wild sex has me starving.”
“I’ve noticed that you’re always starving in the morning,” she said, checking her gun, then tucking it into her purse before she gave him a saucy smile. “How do you stay so slim? You eat like a horse and the most exercise I’ve seen out of you is shuffling a deck of cards.”
“Genetically blessed, I guess.”
“Fast metabolism, gorgeous eyes and super con abilities. What a great gene pool,” Danita said, wide-eyed.
“I can juggle, too.”
They were still teasing and laughing when Danita pulled into a parking spot in front of the Black Oak diner.
“Okay, so you can juggle, cook the perfect omelet and do crossword puzzles in pen,” she acknowledged. “I still say my playing the recorder, being able to speak horse Latin and that I can write my name with my toes beats that.”
“You show me what else you can do with your toes,” he said joining her on the sidewalk and pulling her tight against him, “and I’ll give you the win.”
Before he could offer up a few ideas that were probably listed in the monthly foot fetish newsletter, someone stepped between them and the diner door.
“Good morning.”
They both stopped short. Danita’s hand dropped from his waist so fast, he was surprised his jeans didn’t scrape skin off her palm. He almost shivered, both from the sudden distance between their bodies and from the chill she threw up between them. Unfamiliar with rejection by any woman, let alone one who’d sucked him dry only hours before, Gabriel stiffened. Anger sparked low in his belly, but unlike the woman looking horrified next to him, he kept his expression neutral.
“Hunter,” she greeted with a shaky smile. “What a surprise.”
A surprise indeed. Gabriel considered the FBI special agent. He supposed the jeans and lack of tie were supposed to be casual, but the guy still screamed uptight control.
Was he here to check up on the situation? Had he found some evidence? Something new? And more to the point, was it going to screw up Gabriel’s plans or point yet another finger at his father?
Hunter’s face was completely unreadable, though.
“After your call for help, I thought it was time to offer a little personal focus to this case,” the other man said to Danita.
“Call for help?” Gabriel asked.
Wincing as if she realized she was stuck between an angry rock and indecipherable hard place, Danita looked at Gabriel.
“I was, am, concerned that we’re not doing enough in the case. We seem to have gathered all the information available. I felt it was time to take action,” she said quietly so the couple skirting around them to the diner couldn’t hear.
Gabriel caught the hint of guilt in her voice, worry in her eyes. Good. She should feel both. They were supposed to be working together on this, and she’d cut him out. He’d cut her out, too, but that was beside the point. He had more on the line here.
“Clearly we all have things to talk about,” Hunter said. He gestured up the block, indicating they head toward the sheriff’s office. “We can use Caleb’s office.”
Gabriel stopped pouting over the kicks to his ego and wanted to pull Danita aside to demand just where her loyalties were. “How do you know my brother?”
Nobody but a friend would refer to Caleb by his first name. And sad to say, big brother being such a hard-ass, he had very few real friends. Gabriel’s eyes narrowed as he tried to pull together the pieces of a puzzle he was realizing was much more complex than he’d realized.
So, what the hell was going on? From the look on Hunter’s face, he knew and wasn’t saying.
“Sorry to interrupt your breakfast plans, but I prefer privacy,” Hunter murmured as they made their way down the sidewalk toward the sheriff’s office with its old-fashioned wooden sign swaying in the breeze.
“No problem. I’ve lost my appetite,” Gabriel said.
He didn’t need to look at her to know she was glaring at him. He didn’t care. She was the one turning that sweet expression of sexual delight between them into something to be ashamed of. Suddenly everything between them—the connection, the emotions, even the sex, clearly they’d been sidelined. Danita, or should he say Special Agent Cruz, was in full FBI mode now.
Missing her and frustrated that it hurt so much, he held open the door for Danita, then Hunter to enter the sheriff’s office ahead of him. He thought it a good sign that they didn’t insist he go first, like some petty thief they didn’t trust.
And if he were honest, at least with himself, he’d admit a part of him did want to let the door slam shut behind them so he could take off.
Not because he was afraid of arrest.
But because now that the moment of truth had arrived, he was just a little worried whether he could afford the cost of reckoning.
“C’mon in,” Caleb greeted from behind his desk. Despite how serious he knew the situation was, Gabriel still snickered at the sight of his badass brother looking all official and upright with his stack of paperwork.
Then he saw the large pink donut box on the desk next to the coffeepot and tray of mugs and rolled his eyes. “You’re becoming a cliché, big brother.”
“I’m not the one who was just escorted into jail by two officers of the law, little brother.” Caleb’s tone was light, but there was a clear warning and hint of worry in his eyes.
Gabriel’s grin faded. Clearly Hunter had already visited to clue Caleb in with the down low, obviously outing Danita as an agent and as Gabriel’s legal babysitter.
“I wouldn’t say escorted,” Gabriel corrected meticulously, hunching his shoulders at Caleb’s reference to his arrest. Once Tobias was cleared of suspicion, Gabriel would be the only one left in his family on the questionable side of the law. That had never bothered him before. But now, faced with family judgment, he cringed.
He glanced at Danita, who’d refused the offer of a donut or coffee, instead sitting on one of the interview chairs, clearly letting Hunter take the lead in this little scene.
“So tell me,” Gabriel said, making a show of a chocolate-covered old-fashioned donut before shooting Hunter a look over the pink lid, “how do you know Caleb? Cop school? Inter-department drug bust? Strip club buddies?”<
br />
And did Danita know? Had she kept this from him? He hated that he couldn’t read her now that she has her federal agent face on.
Caleb and Hunter, clearly anted up for the bigger game, both smiled. Caleb leaned back, the old wooden office chair squeaking as he gestured to Hunter to take the lead.
“College, actually,” Hunter said. “We were roommates.”
A vague recollection of a comment here and there from his brother in his rare visits home surfaced. “Your dad was FBI, too, right?”
And why had this been kept a secret? If Hunter already had an in with Caleb, why’d they use Danita as bait to get Gabriel involved? What was the bigger game?
Hunter’s expression, amused till now, shuttered. With a short nod, he gestured to Caleb and changed the subject. “Caleb is assisting in this case. Like you, it’s in his interest to clear your father’s name. Now that he’s settling in, he also has a vested concern in the town and keeping things clean here.”
“Vested enough to be willing to juggle this and his upcoming nuptials at the same time, it seems,” Gabriel said with an arch look at his brother. “Aren’t you the clever multitasker?”
“Must be a family trait.”
Gabriel’s smile dimmed as those words brought back Danita’s teasing that morning. Most of his life, he’d reveled in his heritage. Now he was wondering what it meant for his future. He was the last of his family to hold tight to the legacy his father had handed down. Was it time to let go?
Hell, even his father had let it go.
But before he could make any decisions, before he could even contemplate his future, he had to deal with the game he was in. Which meant busting this crime ring.
“So here’s the deal,” he said, taking charge of the room like this was all a part of his master plan. “Whoever brought together the goon squad wants to grab control of the major crime venues, starting here in Central California, then moving north. Each of the participants brings a specific skill to the table, and each one basically auditioned for their part by proving themselves in a series of crimes.”
Brow arched, he tossed the ball to Danita. Stepping right into agent mode, she rose and faced Hunter.