Protecting His Witness

by Katie Reus

  “Your hacker friend got these?” Jordan wasn’t sure she wanted to know the answer.

  He just shrugged and focused back on the computer screen. Moments later, he’d brought up a clip of the same moped driver who had attacked them the other night. “Watch this,” he murmured. Different screens popped up, showing various shots of the bike moving across town until it disappeared into a parking garage. His fingers flying, Vincent typed in more commands, then fast forwarded about half an hour into that video according the time stamp. Then he pressed play. “Tell me if you recognize anyone.”

  A few minutes later a pretty blonde walked out of the garage. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail and she wore a tight, skimpy dress. She looked left, then right before heading right at a fast pace. Even from a video taken across the street, it was easy to see it was the same woman from the picture Edith had sent them.

  “She has to be the person who firebombed us, right?” Jordan wasn’t sure why she was asking when it was so obvious.

  “And bombed your car.” His voice was tense, matching the taut lines of his body.

  “So what are we going to do?”

  “We are not going to do anything,” he muttered as he pulled out his cell phone. With those crazy fast fingers, he sent off a couple texts. After he received a few dings in reply, he made a grunt that sounded positive before he sent off another string of texts.

  It was hard to tell though because he was shutting her out. She didn’t think it was intentional, he was just really focused on his phone. Placing her hand over his, she squeezed. “What are you planning or thinking? Who are you texting?”

  He looked up, clear determination in his gaze. “I’ve got a friend coming in from Miami to watch you. I won’t leave you unprotected.”

  “Watch me for what? You’re not leaving by yourself.” She would make sure of that.

  His jaw clenched and that fierce protectiveness she recognized too well flared in his pale gaze. “My friend is going to watch you and I’m going to work with Lizzy to see about tracking this woman down. Olson might have fallen off the grid but she’s staying somewhere and she’s not smart enough to stay off security feeds.”

  “Because most people would never think of that.” Jordan certainly wouldn’t.

  “Exactly. And most people don’t have the kinds of friends I do. We’re going to find her.”

  “Why can’t you just give all this information to the police?” She didn’t want Vincent getting any more involved in this than he already was. She’d already lost years with him, she wasn’t losing him again.

  “I obtained all of this illegally. Very illegally. And what I’m planning to ask my friend to do again is also illegal. Besides, even if I did go to the police with what we’ve got, they don’t have the resources to dedicate every waking moment to finding this woman. I do.”

  “Okay, say I’m okay with you locating Celia Olson. When you find her, will you involve the police then?” Even though Jordan knew Vincent would have no problem taking care of the woman any way he deemed fit, Jordan wasn’t okay with that. Not because she cared about some monster who’d tried to kill her twice but because she didn’t want Vincent to ever be in a position to go to jail. Not because of her. Not ever.

  “Maybe.” There was a bit of truth in his voice, which somewhat soothed her.

  “Who is this friend coming to help you out?” Or watch her, like she needed a babysitter.

  He shrugged. “A guy I work with.”

  “Could you be more vague?”

  A slight grin tugged at his lips. “Probably.”

  He had that wicked smile that drove her crazy. No doubt he knew what he was doing because he wanted to deflect the subject. “You’re maddening… How long until your friend gets here?”

  “He’s coming from Miami so three, three and a half hours. Depending on traffic. And I can think of a lot we can do in that time.”

  His words took her completely off guard. “You don’t need to call Lizzy?”

  “I do.” His heated gaze narrowed on Jordan’s lips.

  “Damn it, Vincent. We need to think about this more. You can’t just—”

  Reaching out, he tugged her so that she was straddling him. Her dress pushed up against her thighs as she slid right over his hard length. The clothes between them might as well have been nonexistent. Lord, he must have gone from zero to ready-to-go in seconds. There was no way they were doing anything until they talked more though. She braced her hands on his shoulders to hold herself away. “If this woman is truly after me, she has to have been following us. Obviously, or she wouldn’t have known which car was mine or where I was staying. What if she tracked us to your family’s place or—”

  “Tracked us,” he muttered. The lust that had been simmering in his gaze dimmed as he reached around her and grabbed her phone from the coffee table.

  She tried to slide off him but he held her firm, one hand wrapping possessively around her hip, his fingers digging into her.

  “I like the feel of you on top of me,” he said as he popped open the back of her phone.

  With what had happened with his sister earlier and how raw she’d been feeling, that simple statement soothed her in a way she hadn’t realized she’d needed. She watched as he first pulled her battery out, then a small black plastic chip that looked similar to her SIM card. But it wasn’t the card because that was still in her phone. And that piece was white and pink.

  “Son of a bitch.” He held it in his palm in between them.

  “What is it?” she whispered, though she wasn’t sure why.

  “This is a tracker. It’s how she followed you. Which means she had to get close enough to you to take your phone and put it inside.”

  At that realization, Jordan could feel all the blood drain from her face. The woman who’d thrown a firebomb and actually blown up her car had somehow taken her phone off her person. The woman would have been very close to do it. She normally kept her cell in her purse and she almost always had a purse with her.

  “Baby, I’m sorry,” Vincent murmured before setting the plastic piece down and wrapping his arms around her waist.

  She swallowed back the tremor of fear as she returned his embrace, loosely setting her hands on his shoulders. “It’s better we know now. Do you know what kind it is? Can she hear us?”

  He shook his head and relief punched through her. “No, I’ve seen this kind before. It emits a signal to whoever is tracking it and uses your phone battery to stay charged. It’s mid-grade. Definitely not the cheap stuff, but she could have bought this online or any number of shops. These aren’t that common, but finding her through this purchase would be next to impossible.”

  “So this doesn’t help us?” Great. The woman definitely knew where they were and they couldn’t use the one piece of evidence they’d found to prove that someone had been following her.

  “I didn’t say that. I’m definitely going to be able to use this against her.” There was a dark edge to his voice.

  “How?”

  When he just pursed his lips together as if he didn’t plan to tell her she pinched his nipple. His eyes widened in surprise as he tried to scramble away from her so she twisted the sensitive skin. “What are you planning?”

  “Damn woman, let go.” He grabbed her wrist but she refused to release him.

  “Tell me. I can tell you’re planning something.”

  “Fine, fine, I’ll tell you.” He lightly squeezed her wrist so she released him, but didn’t move off him. “I don’t remember you being so violent,” he muttered as he rubbed a hand against his chest.

  “That didn’t hurt. Now tell me or I’ll squeeze something even more sensitive and you won’t like the end result.”

  “Is it wrong that this violent streak of yours turns me on?” There was an uneven quality to his voice, the question coming out ragged. He rolled his hips once, letting her feel his hard length.

  Having him aroused between her legs made her entire body pulse wi
th need, but nothing would dissuade her from getting her answers. “Vincent,” she said warningly.

  His big hands settled on her hips, his expression frustrated. “I don’t have an exact plan, but if this morning is any indication, her violence has escalated which tells me she’ll be coming after you again soon.”

  Instinctively Jordan looked over her shoulder out the big front windows. The drapes were still pulled back. Sitting with him she felt safe, but she knew that was an illusion.

  He squeezed her hips so she turned back to face him. “Short of her using an RPG, she’s not getting in this house. All the sensor alerts are linked to my phone and the security company so if someone breaches the property, I’ll know and so will the police. As long as you’re under this roof, you’re safe.”

  “We can’t stay here forever.” She wouldn’t mind staying cooped up under any roof with Vincent, but the reality was that he had a job and a life and they couldn’t just wait around and hide because some maniac wanted to pick them off.

  “I know. I’m going to take care of your problem. It might not work, but I’m going to take that tracker to a remote enough place that she might feel comfortable following. Or, I’ll drive around Key West with your phone and have Blue following me to—”

  “Blue?”

  “My friend who’s coming to help out.”

  “His name is Blue?”

  “It’s his last name…Listen, I don’t have all the logistics planned out yet. I’m still thinking, but I will be able to use this tracker to our advantage somehow.”

  “I’m not letting you go off by yourself.” Hell no. He was out of his mind if he thought that. She might not be as skilled as Vincent in a lot of areas, but she wasn’t helpless. She could defend herself well enough and she knew how to fire a weapon. Not to mention she’d taken down a serial killer with a Taser and even though it had terrified her, she’d testified against him in court and had given up her life to put the man behind bars.

  Vincent watched her carefully, his gaze intense as it swept over her face, narrowing on her lips. When he ran his tongue over his bottom lip in a move no doubt meant to be sensuous, her fingers dug into his shoulders. He hadn’t agreed with her yet that he wouldn’t be going off alone and she needed to hear the words.

  He seemed to have other plans as he slowly leaned forward, his intent clear.

  “Not done…talking,” she whispered before his lips touched hers.

  He pulled her bottom lip in between his teeth, nipping and teasing her in sweet little strokes that had her nipples tightening against the soft fabric of her dress. She’d taken off her bathing suit top earlier and had opted not to wear a bra because the dress had one built in. It would be so easy to reach up and— As if he read her mind, Vincent’s hands slid up her hips, waist, and he didn’t stop until he’d reached the tie on her halter dress.

  With one pull, the tie fell free and the two straps loosened, falling down to reveal her bare breasts. Vincent groaned. “You drive me crazy, woman.” He’d barely finished the statement before his head dipped to her chest.

  She told herself to stop him, that they still needed to figure things out, but as his tongue swiped over one of her already hard buds, she closed her eyes and let her head fall back. He alternated between breasts, driving her crazy as he teased her nipples. Each flick of his tongue or thumb had the ache between her thighs growing.

  But his pressure was light. Too light. He was definitely teasing her and no doubt knew it. While she loved the stimulation, she wanted to see all of him and feel her bare breasts rubbing against his chest. She loved the skin on skin, being as close to him as physically possible.

  After so long without him, she couldn’t get enough. Grasping at his shirt, she started to tug it off when he pulled back and did it for her. She was mesmerized by the way his muscles flexed and stretched as he lifted it off and tossed it away. Simply watching his fluid movements was a turn on.

  Splaying her hands over his chest, she lightly tweaked the nipple she’d pinched moments before, knowing she hadn’t actually hurt him. He gave her a mock growl.

  “You probably liked it,” she murmured before leaning down to drop her own kisses on his chest. She lightly pressed her teeth around his small nipple and he shuddered. She loved it when she made him lose control and while she wasn’t even close to that point, she knew they’d get there soon enough.

  “I love everything you do, baby.” He slid his hands down the exposed part of her back as she continued to tease him with her mouth and tongue. His fingers were warm against her bare skin. As she explored his chest, kissing over the muscular contours and lines, he fisted the bottom of her dress and tugged upward.

  Though she hated to stop what she was doing, she leaned back so he could pull her dress completely over her head. He set it on the couch next to them but never took his eyes from her face. Even though he wasn’t looking at her body, she experienced a moment of intense vulnerability. There was something in his gaze that made her feel like she was under a microscope.

  “What is it?” She attempted to cover her chest with her hands, but he moved quickly, snagging her wrists and holding them at her sides, still never taking his gaze from hers.

  He cleared his throat, his pale eyes unreadable. “This thing with us…”

  Oh shit. Her heart jumped in her throat and she suddenly didn’t want to hear what he had to say. She didn’t even want to guess what it was. She didn’t think he was going to end what they had going on, but that sentence had a whole lot of different possible endings and most of them weren’t good. What if he wanted to tell her that this thing between them would never be like it once had been? Or that it could never be truly serious? Not after the way she’d left him or the way his sister, and probably most of his family, hated her. What if he could never trust her again?

  She couldn’t bear to hear any of those words. Not while she was naked sitting on top of him. Okay, she couldn’t bear to hear the words ever. But definitely not right now.

  Moving fast, she kissed him hard, plastering her body against him as her lips intertwined with his. Vincent gave it back just as hard, just as hungry, his tongue teasing and stroking in her mouth. When he sat up, sliding to the edge of the couch, she took the opportunity to wrap her legs completely around his waist.

  Before she realized what he intended, she found herself flat on her back on the plush rug in front of the couch, him kneeling between her thighs because she wasn’t letting go of him. He blindly shoved the coffee table out of the way as her hands greedily roved over his chest. She couldn’t get enough of touching him. His muscles flexed beneath her fingertips as she skated her way down to the top of his pants. As she started working the button free, his head dipped to her breast again and this time he wasn’t teasing. The pressure was perfect, the growing heat inside her building faster with each swipe of his talented tongue.

  Once the button was free, she tugged on his zipper and slid her hand inside his pants. Completely commando. She grinned as she wrapped her hand around his hard length and stroked once with enough pressure that he groaned against her sensitive breast. The action sent a tingle of pleasure shooting to all her nerve endings. With one hand she shoved at his shorts, suddenly desperate to feel all of him on top of her.

  Thankfully he helped her, shoving at them until he was completely naked and the only thing between them was her thong, the thin scrap of blue material that might as well not even be there.

  Leaning back, he kneeled between her legs, his cock pulsing between his legs as it pointed up beautifully against his ripped abdomen. His pale eyes seemed almost darker as he stared down at her, his eyes devouring every inch of her body. “Jordan…” He trailed off, clearing his throat as if he was nervous.

  “Don’t say it,” she whispered.

  His gaze narrowed on hers as he pinned her in place. She couldn’t have moved even if she’d wanted to. “I’m not letting you go again. Ever.”

  All the distress that had been building
inside her as she imagined the bomb he would drop was sucked out of her at his words. Her eyes widened as she fought to find a response, to make her throat work.

  “I bought you a ring,” he rasped out, seemingly oblivious to the struggle going on in her mind.

  She pushed up on her elbows as shock slammed into her. “What?”

  “Before you disappeared. I had a ring for you. I…” He trailed off, his expression so pained it was like a dagger to her chest, slicing through her.

  No, no, no. She did not want to hear this. It was so different from what she’d expected him to say, but it was knowledge she didn’t need nonetheless. “Don’t tell me that,” she whispered, stricken. If she’d known that, there was no way she’d have been able to disappear into WITSEC without him.

  He started to respond, but she grabbed him by the shoulders and pulled him back down on her. They could talk later. She already felt ripped open and could tell he did too by his admission. They needed to lose themselves in each other because she didn’t trust her voice anymore. Leaving him had been hard, that word such a pathetically weak description for the truth of her emotions, but she hadn’t had a clue what he intended for their future. Or if they’d even had one. Yes, they’d loved each other but their relationship had been fresh and new and he’d never said a word about her moving to Miami with him.

  That had been one factor that had made her decision easier. Now for him to confess that he’d had a ring, she wanted to punch him for telling her. To pretend she’d never heard it. But she couldn’t go back in time and un-hear those words.

  As his mouth met hers again, she could feel the untamed energy humming through him. Arching her back, she rubbed her breasts against his chest, the friction exactly what she needed but still not enough.

  Her inner walls clenched, needing to be filled by him. She was so wet for him she knew it wouldn’t take much to climax. So many years of pleasuring herself alone and all Vincent had to do was look at her and she’d combust. But it wasn’t just that. His admission had set something free inside her even as it ripped her open. She was so primed for him, so ready.