by Marlow Kelly
A fission of excitement shot through him. She’d been checking him out. “Before she was Mrs. Portman, she was Lucy Holstein.”
“Like the cow?”
His brow crinkled. “What cow?”
“There’s a breed…” She waved away the thought. “It doesn’t matter, continue.”
“Her family ran a brokerage firm. They were hit hard by the last recession and were bailed out by the sale of five properties. That, in itself, doesn’t seem too strange. You’d expect rich people to have more than one real estate holding—”
“But you dug a little deeper.” She started walking, following the footpath that circled the lake.
He joined her, matching her stride. “They purchased all five homes only six months before they sold—”
“Money laundering.” She tilted her head to one side.
“How much do you know about it?”
“The basics. A human trafficker will take their ill-gotten gains and pay cash for a property. Then six months to a year later, they sell the place. They can then declare the money they made from the sale. That’s how they make their illegal money look legal. Although, I think it’s more complicated than that, but I’m not someone who understands accounting.”
“You’ve got the essentials. I did some cyber-investigating while I was recuperating. Nothing that could be tracked back to me. I just peeked at the company’s business and personal bank accounts and social media, but I kept hitting a wall. I know she has money coming in from somewhere, but I can’t find it. Although, they have an air-gapped computer—”
She stopped in the shade of a Ponderosa pine. A bead of sweat formed on her neck. “Is it an isolated system? Like the police?”
“Yes, which means I can’t hack it because it’s not on the internet. Although a truly air-gapped computer isn’t even part of a network. You can only download data to it physically, but this one was part of a secure system.”
“Could you have planted a virus to access this network when you were helping David?”
He stopped to consider the ramifications and then kicked a clump of weeds. “I can’t remember, but I had to have caused this. I could have infiltrated their grid. You, my mom, Ava, Milo, you’re all in danger because I probably planted some malware and then forgot about it. I’ve never forgotten anything, ever. I’m actually incapable of forgetting.”
She held up her hand. “Hold on, do you know for sure you planted this virus or whatever it is?”
“No, but I’ve written a piece of code that would seek out a link to the nearest internet signal and connect an isolated grid to the web. From there, I would be able to hack in and trace all their transactions. I used it when I was Army CID. All I had to do was upload it.”
“How would you know if you planted it or not?”
“If I had access to their computer, I’d know within seconds.”
“Can we figure it out without walking into the PDE building?” There was something in the way she looked at him, her eyes soft and tender, that made him ache to touch her. Her tongue darted out to lick her lips.
He brushed a silky strand of hair away from her face and then leaned close. “You smell like cake.”
He lay small kisses beneath her ear. She lifted her head, allowing him better access. It was a small gesture on her part, but his heart slammed against his ribcage.
Then she stiffened and stepped back, staring at him wide-eyed.
Her reaction was like having a lump of ice shoved down his shorts. He’d acted before he could think. He’d fantasized about caressing her for years. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to force myself on you. I just—”
“Shut up.” She wrapped her arms around his neck, tugging him closer. Her mouth slanted over his. His senses seemed to go into overdrive. He could feel the chill in the breeze that told him winter was coming, hear the rustle of the leaves and smell the pine needles underfoot.
Then he inhaled her scent, vanilla cake mixed with sex, and he was lost. Blood raced through his veins. He caressed her lips with his, trying to be gentle, not wanting to hurt her bruises. It was as though he’d been thirsty for years and was finally able to drink.
When her tongue slipped into his mouth, he forgot about everything else. He was lost in a mind-blowing combination of heat and sensuality.
Her hands moved down the front of his shirt and strummed his nipples. He shivered, which was an unexpected reaction because he was burning up. He’d been semi-erect when they’d left the cabin, and now his dick was as hard as fuck.
His hands grasped her hips, aligning her body with his. He danced her backward until she rested against the trunk of a pine. He rotated his hips, rubbing his erection against her sensitive folds. She groaned into his mouth. When he slipped a hand inside the waistband of her leggings and cupped her butt, she cried out at his touch.
He wanted to go all the way and take her here and now, but she had to be with him for every step. He needed to hear the words. He broke the kiss, gasping for air. “How far do you want to go?”
She stepped to the side, out of their embrace, her eyes wide and blinking, like someone who’d suffered a shock. “Thanks for stopping.”
He groaned as he scrubbed his face with his hands. “What’s going on?”
She adjusted her clothing, which didn’t do much good because her puckered nipples could be seen through her shirt. “You started it. You kissed me, and then you were playing a game with this whole sexy hip thing.” She pointed to his groin.
He didn’t try to hide the bulge in his jeans. “Why would you think I’m playing?”
She turned toward the lake so he couldn’t see her face. “I shouldn’t have kissed you back. That’s on me. I’m sorry. It was a mistake.”
“How is it a mistake?” He hated how angry he sounded.
“Oh, come on, Michael. We’re stuck here together. It would be easy for us to get carried away. I’m attracted to you. That much is obvious, and I won’t lie about it, but this is about more than just the two of us. I would love some easy sex, but once we’re done and this is over, how would we be around the others? Would we be able to go back to how we are now, or would it be awkward?” She turned and smiled at him, but it didn’t reach her eyes.
“Who says it has to be over?”
She pressed her lips into a thin line and placed her hands on her hips. “I do. I don’t do serious relationships.”
“Since when?”
She laughed and then said, “Since forever. Have you ever seen me with a boyfriend?”
“Is this because I ran away sixteen years ago?” He wanted to close the gap between them mentally, emotionally, and physically, but he couldn’t move because he couldn’t feel his feet. “Signing up for officer training wasn’t about you. It was about—”
“I get it.” She nodded as if she understood, but he could see the hurt in her luminous green eyes. “You didn’t want to take orders from some idiot when you’re the smartest man in the room. But it would’ve been nice if you’d told me. Finding out from David sucked.”
He swallowed the lump in his throat that seemed to be choking him. He didn’t want to admit the real reason he’d run, but if he didn’t come clean, they would never be able to put the past behind them. “As a kid, there were all these expectations. I had to become somebody, help my people, and make their lives better. I felt like I was responsible for the whole reservation, and they had my whole life planned out for me. Then I met you guys, and for the first time, I had friends who didn’t want anything from me.”
“What does all that have to do with me? I didn’t expect anything.”
“No, but I could see our future. Babies, house payments, car payments, a steady job. I wasn’t ready for that, not then. I was just a kid myself.”
She blew out a long breath through pursed lips. “Wow. I really can’t believe people think you’re smart. Did it ever occur to you to discuss this with me? Maybe I didn’t want to settle down either.”
“I assumed y
ou wanted a home and a family because that was all you talked about when we were on the street.”
She poked him in the chest. “Of course, I wanted a home. I was homeless. When you became an officer, I lost my best friend. That hurt. Whatever you imagined our future would be wasn’t even on my radar.” She glared at him, but the longer she stared, the more he could see her pain.
Prepared to defend himself, he opened his mouth but then closed it and focused on the white-tipped mountains. He’d deserted her without explanation. How could he justify that? He couldn’t. “I can write code. I can work a computer the way other people can play a musical instrument, but when it comes to people…you…I’m a moron.”
She grunted. “You got that right.”
“There’s a reason I’m not married, or in a serious relationship, and that reason is you.”
Once again, she turned to look at the water. He thought she might walk away, but she straightened her spine and said, “And I suppose you’re ready for commitment, a mortgage, and a family?”
He nodded.
She sighed. “Then I should be honest, too. It’s like I said, I don’t do relationships and I don’t want kids.”
He blinked, trying not to show any reaction. He’d imagined if she accepted him and wanted to be with him, a family would be part of their future.
She obviously saw through his attempt to hide his surprise because she moved to stand in front of him. “What did you think? You’d declare your feelings for me, and my life would stop? That might have worked sixteen years ago, but not now. I won’t walk away from Child Seekers. The work I do is too important.”
Put like that, what could he say? She rescued children and made the world a better place, whereas he was currently unemployed and in hiding. “I’ll take you any way I can get you.”
She didn’t meet his gaze. Instead, she started walking again.
“I blew it with you, didn’t I?” He thought he might throw up. He’d been a fool and chucked away the best chance he’d had at happiness.
She stopped, tilted her head back, and stared at the sky. Blinking, she said, “No…maybe. I just…”
“Give me another chance. I’m not a kid anymore.” He knew he was begging, but he didn’t care. He’d wasted so much of his life running away from commitment, and he had no idea why. Being with Sinclair would never be a burden. She was fiercely independent, loyal, and brave, but more surprisingly, she didn’t need him; she never had and probably never would. Maybe that was the way it was supposed to be. He wanted her to spend time with him simply because she enjoyed his company. What a fool he’d been. He’d thought she would be a burden, an unwanted commitment, when in reality, he had denied himself her presence, her laughter, her counsel, and most of all her companionship.
She smiled as she scrubbed her face with her hands, her frustration with him evident. “But nothing’s changed. You’re still a moron.”
He chuckled, a response that had more to do with stress than anything else. His knees felt like jelly. There was still hope, a chance they could make it work.
“Let me think about it.” She continued on the trail.
He hurried after her. “What is there to think about?”
She swung around and poked him in the chest again. “How would it work? Are you down for being the guy I call when I need to get laid?”
He held up his hands in a show of surrender. “Absolutely.” He would need to spend time with her if he was going to worm his way into her affections. And it wasn’t unheard of for physical intimacy to lead to emotional attachment. Plus, the idea of her calling someone else to satisfy her needs made him feel like he’d been struck in the chest with a hammer.
Months ago, when he was in hospital recovering from his injuries, David had advised Michael to deal with his feelings for Sinclair. This was his chance. At eighteen, he’d run away, and he’d kept on running. He was thirty-three years old now; it was past time he grew up.
She started walking again. “Besides, you couldn’t deal with a real relationship because that requires communication.”
He grabbed her elbow and spun her around. “You’re talking about me not telling you about the Syndicate.”
She nodded.
“You’re right. My only defense is that I handed everything over to Finn. As a federal agent, you learn to compartmentalize. You never discuss a case with anyone who isn’t directly involved, not your colleagues, not your friends. You only talk to officers on the same investigation.”
“You’re saying, after being in Army Intelligence for eight years and Army CID for ten, you got used to not saying anything.”
“Yes, but you’re right. I should’ve warned you about the danger.” If he could go back in time and do things differently, he would.
“Look, I get it. You’re not used to talking about your work, and you were injured and focused on your recovery. It’s a lifetime habit that would be hard to break. That’s why I think we should only use each other for sex.”
He rubbed his jaw. “That would be tough. I don’t know if I could commit to that kind of pleasure.”
She tossed her head back and laughed. It was an uninhibited gesture. He was captivated by her lack of restraint in the moment. It reminded him of how she’d cried out during orgasm all those years ago.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” She stood with her arms crossed.
“Do you want the truth?”
She rolled her eyes in answer. Which he understood to mean he’d asked a dumb question.
“Every time you get angry or laugh or breathe, I get aroused. It’s like my dick is a compass and you’re the north. It keeps pointing to you. I can’t seem to control it.”
Her arms dropped to her side, her mouth fell open, and she gaped at his crotch. “Even now?”
He smiled and waggled his eyebrows “Oh, yeah.”
She laughed again.
It was the most heart-stoppingly beautiful sound he had ever heard. He wrapped a hand around her waist and pulled her closer. His lips crushed hers. He wanted to be gentle, to take his time, but he couldn’t. His heart, soul, and body belonged to her and had for a long time. She groaned and deepened the kiss. Her tongue dueled with his, and he was lost. He pressed his hips to hers, aligning their bodies. He slowly moved his pelvis so his erection rubbed against her sensitive nub. One hand spread across the soft skin of her lower back while the other reached under her shirt, searching for her breast, feeling the fabric of her bra.
“This tree will work,” Ava called to Milo. The sound of his sister’s voice was alarmingly close.
Sinclair pushed him away. “Not here.”
He blew out a long breath and looked down. There was no way he could let his sister see him in this state. He didn’t care so much about Milo. His stepfather would just laugh at him, but Ava was only fifteen. “You should go ahead. I need a minute.”
She grinned, obviously relishing in his discomfort.
“You don’t have to enjoy it so much,” he complained, but couldn’t help but smile.
She shrugged and walked away. “I don’t have to, but I do,” she called over her shoulder.
He found a boulder and sat, squinting up at the clear, blue sky. He couldn’t wait until tonight when they’d be alone again.
Chapter Eleven
Captain Tate’s office wasn’t as cramped as Finn had expected, but that could be because Tate was a minimalist. There was nothing in the space that didn’t have a practical function. There were no bowling trophies or family photographs, just a clear desk and comfy office chairs for Tate and his visitors. Finn liked to think the seats were meant for colleagues, but despite the luxurious furniture, this felt more like an interrogation room.
Tate, whose official title was Captain of the Investigative Bureau, had joined the Granite City-Elkhead County Police Department after Finn had uncovered evidence that the former Police Chief, Dan Notley, had turned a blind eye in order to aid Marshall Portman. If Tate felt any animosity t
oward Finn over his actions, he didn’t show it.
Finn sat. “I’m here about the home invasion west of town.” Granite City and the surrounding Elkhead County had combined their law enforcement departments in order to save costs and cut some of the jurisdictional red tape. It meant that a home invasion in the county fell squarely in their lap.
Tate’s brow creased, and he pointed to Finn. “You left me with three corpses who have no identification. Tell me you’re planning to take over the case.”
The pointing, along with the brow wrinkle, indicated Tate had negative feelings for them. Finn glanced at Kennedy who pressed her lips into a thin line. She was probably noticing the same non-verbal body language and knew that Tate’s animosity was, in all likelihood, going to get worse.
Finn tried to smile, hoping it would soften the blow. “No, and I need to tell you about a situation that has come up.”
Tate held up a hand. “One minute.” He stood and walked to the door. “Ramirez, get in here and bring the files on the mugging and the home invasion from last night.”
Kennedy stood and paced to the back of the room, leaving her seat free for Detective Ramirez. She would observe their conversation. Afterward, they would compare notes and figure out what action, if any, needed to be taken.
Ramirez strode in. He had two manila folders tucked under one arm and a notebook and pen in his hand. He nodded at Kennedy to take the empty chair. She shook her head, refusing the offer. He shrugged and made himself comfortable.
Tate rested his hands on his desk, interlacing his fingers, which was a sign that he had serious concerns about this interview. “What situation?”
“How much do you know about Marshall Portman?” Finn asked.
“He ran a charity, took in street kids, and once they were older, he manipulated them into working for him. One of them, who just happens to be a friend of yours”—Tate pointed at Finn again, his facial muscles tight and tense—“refused to play ball, and Portman tried to have him killed.”
Finn cleared his throat. He was used to collaborating with local law enforcement, but this was different. They were dumping a problem on the police. “We suspect—”