Shadows and light the co.., p.8
Shadows and Light: The Complete Series, page 8
Glancing over at his brother, Mac shook his head. “What did that trunk ever do to you?”
Jason studied his brother. “Why the hell are you so chipper?”
He leaned up against the car. They both had put in over twelve hours so far that day with no answers, only more questions. The only positive note was that there were no other letter bombs found and his family was safe.
“You, bro. You’re an unbearable pain in the ass, but at least you’re still here instead of plastered all over my office walls. It could have been a much different outcome, you know. Are you going to tell me how you did that?”
“How I did what?” Jason moved away from the vehicle.
Mac grabbed Jason’s arm. “Jason, it’s me. Whatever you say, I’ll believe you. How did you know that envelope was a bomb?”
“I’m a cop, it’s in my blood. I knew.”
“That’s a load of crap.”
Jason moved out of Mac’s reach. “Just let it go, Mac. When I’m ready, I’ll spill my guts all over your shoes.”
“Maybe the answers we’re looking for are part of it somehow. Have you considered that?”
“Hanna and Sarah Tu have nothing to do with it. You know damn well it’s connected to my testimony in the Réinanos Cartel case. This is revenge, plain and simple. My testimony a couple years ago just slowed them down.” He raked a hand over the back of his neck. “First they got to Rico, now me.”
“How could the cartel connect your alias, Deke Riley, to you? And if they did, your Riley cover is blown. It’s a mistake to go back out as Riley.”
“Deke Riley is just a name of a drug-running low-life I created. I don’t plan to use the name, just his persona.”
Jason strolled to the driver’s side door and got in. Unlocking the glove compartment, he removed a leather pouch and set it on the passenger seat. He then yanked off his badge from around his neck, pulled his wallet out of his back pocket, and handed everything to Mac. The next few minutes were spent rearranging his hair in the rearview mirror.
“Damn, bro. That’s freaky how you morph into Deke Riley,” Mac added, and moved away from the car, studying his brother’s undercover persona. “You can pick up your car in space L-Nine on the second floor of the garage off Sixth Street.”
“I know the drill.”
“Yeah, I know, but it’s my job to tell you anyway. I’m still not convinced that the letter bombs have anything to do with your testimony. Why are you taking this so personally?”
Jason ran his hands through his hair. “I may have been careless, forgotten something, let something slip. I have to go out there and hear what they are saying on the streets. If the Réinanos Cartel sent the letters, it will be all over the streets because they will be making a statement.” Jason wanted to smash his fist through the windshield. “Shit, Mac. I may have placed the people we love in serious danger. If they were able to get two letter bombs through our security, how do we protect ourselves?”
Mac placed his hand on Jason’s shoulder. “Let’s not jump off that bridge yet. I’ve a whole conference room full of files we still have to go through. Those letters could have come from anywhere. If it’s the Réinanos Cartel, we’ll deal with them the way we deal with everything.” Mac rubbed the top of his brother’s head. “I think that bomb rattled your brain. Be careful. We’ll track your moves.”
“My brain is working fine.” Jason yanked his brother’s hand off his head. “Stop mothering me. I’m as comfortable in this skin as my own.” He started the engine.
“That’s what I’m afraid of. Who has the upper hand? You or Deke Riley?”
Chapter Eight
Jason pulled into an empty parking space, shut the engine off, and raked his hands over his face. The grime, cigarette smoke, and the sickly sweet odor of alcohol from the dozen bars along Sixth Street he’d visited that evening still lingered on him. God, I smell like I rolled in a gutter.
He flexed his sore shoulder muscles to release the tension. Hot, piercing pain shot down his spine. For a split second, his tired brain had forgotten about the four large gashes in his back.
“Son of a bitch, that hurts.” He shut his eyes, waiting for the pain to ease before he moved. With care, he opened the door of his SUV and stepped out onto the sidewalk. He glanced over the front lawn of his condo. At three in the morning, the area was deserted. Nothing seemed out of place, but the eerie sensation of being watched that had followed him around all evening was still there.
It had been twenty hours since the bomb tore through Mac’s office. The time he’d spent on the streets made one thing clear. If the Réinanos Cartel was responsible for the letter bombs, they were keeping it quiet. Everyone was talking, but no one was bragging.
Trudging up the sidewalk to his condo like an old man, he inserted his security key and entered the lobby. The three flights of stairs in front of him made him cringe. What had possessed him to sign a lease on the third floor of the building? As soon as he had some sleep, he was moving.
As he made his way down the long hallway, the desire to pull his revolver and blast the bright glaring overhead lights to smithereens was almost too strong to control. They were dancing a damn rumba on his optic nerve.
Turning the corner, he came to a complete stop. Sarah Tu sat with her back leaning against his door, her arms wrapped around her legs, and her head resting on her knees. She was sound asleep.
“What the hell?” It had been weeks since he walked out of her life. What was she doing here? He knelt and gently moved a loose strand of hair off her face.
I missed you.
Then the hairs on the back of his neck prickled and a chill raced down his spine. He stood. With his hand on his gun, he studied the corridor. He wasn’t sure what spooked him, but whatever it was, it was gone. No one was there. He unlocked his door and lifted Sarah into his arms.
The click from the lock turning startled Sarah awake. “What are you doing?”
“Good morning, sleepyhead.” Grinning down at her, Jason moved across the living room and placed her gently on his sofa.
Sarah shook her head, shut her eyes, and then opened them.
“Yeah, I’m still here.” Jason joked.
“Where am I?”
“On my sofa.”
“How did I get here?”
“I put you there,” Jason said, enjoying her confusion. This was a new one. Dr. Sarah Tu bamboozled. She was human after all, and so female; from her silky, dark hair and petite, luscious body to her pretty red-painted toes sticking out of a pair of sexy-as-hell high heels. Jason had to clamp down on the need to touch, roam, caress.
And when their eyes met, his heart actually leapt. McNeil, you are such a moon-sick moron.
It wasn’t the first time a simple glance did that to him. Sarah’s eyes seemed to reach out and grasp hold of his heart the minute they met. They were so damn beautiful, alluring, almost mesmerizing. His mother would say they touched his soul.
What the hell was she doing here? He didn’t doubt she had all the tools necessary at her disposal to find him, but why would she look?
Shit. He barely recovered from the last dagger she jabbed into his heart. There couldn’t be a worst time for her to pop back into his life.
“Jason.”
He shook his head and let out a breath he didn’t realize he held. “What?”
“You’re staring.” Sarah ran her hand over her hair as her gaze slowly flitted around the room. “You live here?”
Jason nodded.
“You need a maid.”
“That’s what I have been told.”
He placed her hand in his and rubbed his thumb over her palm. He could feel her pulse quicken. “Sarah, what are you doing here?”
“I needed to talk to you.”
Jason knew he was ogling, making her feel uncomfortable, but he couldn’t seem to stop touching her. A night didn’t go by that he hadn’t dreamed of her in all kinds of positions while he kissed every inch of her.
She sat up, placing her feet on the floor. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have shown up like this.” She pressed her hands to her forehead and rubbed it gently.
Jason pointed to the large bandage over her left eye. “What happened?” He traced a finger lightly over the bandage. “Did you walk into a wall while reading one of your science magazines?”
“My head hit a partition.”
“Do you do that often?” He tried to bite back the grin, but failed.
“No, this was a first.”
“Okay, I give. Why did you bash your head on a partition?”
“I didn’t bash my head on a partition, Detective McNeil,” Sarah replied. “I’m not an idiot.”
There it is. That spunk.
“That’s good to hear. And it’s Special Agent now.” Jason threaded his hands through his hair. “Can we start this conversation over? None of it is making any sense. I’ve been up for twenty-one hours.” He gently moved the hair off the bandage to get a better look at the damage.
“Sure, sorry. I can’t focus. You keep touching me.”
“I like touching you, Sarah Tu,” he whispered. Several moments passed before he spoke again. “Sarah, why are you here?”
“I needed to talk to you and when I called your cell phone, you didn’t answer. So I . . . ”
“So you just got on a plane and flew to Austin,” he said, shaking his head. When she winced and shut her eyes, he asked, “Do you have a headache?”
“Yes. Do you have anything?” She rubbed her forehead again.
Jason reached into the bag he placed on the coffee table, pulled out a water bottle and Tylenol. Shaking out two tablets, he handed them to her.
“You don’t have a concussion, do you?”
“Just a slight one,” Sarah answered, handing him back the water bottle.
“There’s no such thing is a slight concussion. You either have one or you don’t. Do I need to take you to an emergency room?”
“Been there, did that this morning. They released me. I’m sure the headache will go away in a few minutes.”
Jason’s eyes bore into Sarah. “Let me get this straight. You banged your head hard enough to go to an emergency room. They released you. So, you get on a plane and fly here because I didn’t answer my cell phone?”
“Like I said, I needed to speak to you,” Sarah said, yawning. “But I can see you’re exhausted. It can wait.” Sarah glanced at the thin gold watch on her wrist. “Oh for Pete’s sake, it’s after three. I had no idea it was so late. We should be in bed.”
Jason lifted her back into his arms and headed down the short hallway off the living room. “I agree.”
“Put me down, Jason McNeil. I can’t stay here.”
“Why not?”
“I have a hotel room. I’ll sleep there and meet you back here in a few hours.”
“You could, but you’re already in bed, so why would you go through the trouble?” he said, placing her down on top of the comforter. Lifting up her feet, he quickly removed her shoes. Before she could protest, he removed her suit jacket, folded it, and set it on the bench at the foot of the bed. His hands settled on her waist.
“What are you doing?”
“Making you more comfortable.” He moved his hands behind her back and lowered the small zipper on the skirt. His eyes held hers. He didn’t breathe, neither did she.
When she didn’t pull away, he yanked on the skirt until it was free of her hips. It took seconds for it to join the jacket. His hands ached to caress the silky skin of her upper thigh. But instead, he stood and moved to the dresser near the door. Opening the top drawer, he pulled out a worn t-shirt and tossed it to her.
Sarah grabbed it in mid-air and tossed it back. “I can’t wear that.”
“Why?”
“I went to Princeton.”
Jason shook his head before he studied the t-shirt’s logo. He laughed and shoved the Harvard shirt back into the drawer. Pulling out another, “Will this do?” he asked, before moving back to the bed.
“Yes. Thanks.” Sarah took the plain navy blue undershirt.
Jason sat and reached for the first button on her blouse.
This time she did brush his hand away. “What do you think you’re doing?”
“Helping.”
“I’m not undressing in front of you.”
“I’ve seen women without their clothes on before.”
“Jason!”
“Fine. Is this better?” Jason closed his eyes but didn’t move an inch.
His senses heightened and his imagination filled in the blanks. He felt each button as it popped from its casing. When she removed the blouse from around her shoulder, the air shifted and the sweet musky scent of vanilla and jasmine filled his nostrils. His mouth watered. He sucked in a deep breath and released it slowly, calming the blood coursing through his veins.
And he knew the second she released the hook and eye closures on her bra. He yearned to touch, caresses, stroke what was an inch from him. Damn, this is painful. What the hell are you doing?
The air shifted again. He knew his ratty t-shirt covered heaven.
“You can open your eyes.”
The t-shirt concealed everything from her shoulders to her knees. With one hard tug, he could rip the damn thing from her body. Instead, he lifted her knees off the comforter and set them on the cool sheets, flipping the cover over her.
He strolled around the other side of the bed and removed his clothes.
“Sarah, I need to wash the slime of the job off. Will you be here when I get out?”
She took an eternity to answer. “Yes.”
After a quick shower, he dug under the bed and pulled out a pair of pajama pants. He usually wore nothing to bed, but that would be sheer torture. He slipped under the covers, turned on his side, and studied her. She hadn’t moved.
Reaching for her hand, he intertwined his fingers in hers and brought it to his lips. He should have demanded why she just decided to show up on his doorstep. After twenty-one hours, his mind was just too damn tired to care.
“Sarah.”
“What?”
“Look at me.” He waited until she turned and faced him. “One more thing.”
“What?”
The slight tremble in her voice made his heart skip. It was all he needed. He tipped her chin up, pausing a second before his lips brushed hers.
The bare touch sent a jolt of pure pleasure through him. With their eyes glued to each other, he deepened the kiss, his tongue coaxing her mouth open. Wrapping an arm around her body, he drew her closer. His hand moved and cupped her neck, his fingers stroking the tender skin behind her ear. When he realized she wasn’t pulling away, the hunger in him intensified. He wanted all of her. It was supposed to be a simple good night kiss, but nothing was ever simple when it came to the woman in his arms.
Then she pulled back, breaking their connection.
“I can’t . . . we can’t.”
You ass. You frightened her.
“I’m sorry, Sarah. It was just a goodnight kiss. That’s all.”
“No, that wasn’t a goodnight kiss. That was . . . ” She rolled out of his embrace and scooted off the bed. She circled her waist with her arms. “I’m so sorry. I don’t know how to do this.”
Jason moved off her side of the bed, his stomach in knots. “I never meant to make you uncomfortable. It was supposed to be . . . it’s just that . . . you and I . . . ”
“You left, Jason. I haven’t heard one word from you.” She choked back a sob.
Jason’s heart twitched when her eyes filled with tears. “Damn it, Sarah. Don’t you dare stand there and blame me for that.”
“Jason . . . ”
“No,” he said, and raised his hands. “I can’t do this right now.”
Sarah glanced toward the door and then back at him. “Look, it’s been a really bad day. I shouldn’t have dropped in on you like this. I’ll go back to my hotel.”
“No, damn it. Please stay.”
“Stop cussing at me! I hate when you do that.”
Jason took a moment and pushed down the anger. “You can’t drive around Austin with a concussion. We both need some sleep.” He placed his hand in hers and led her back to the bed. “If you go, I’ll be sleeping on the cold, hard carpet outside your hotel room.”
“But I . . . ”
He gently eased her down on the mattress, set her legs back on the sheets, and pulled the comforter over her. “See, all comfy.” He bent over and kissed her forehead. Crossing to the other side of the bed, he joined her but faced the wall.
“Good night, Sarah. We’ll talk in the morning.”
He waited until her breathing slowed, then listened for the soft sound of exhaustive snoring. Surprisingly, it didn’t take long at all. He rolled and drew the sleeping woman against him, spooning her. Today was hell and having Sarah pop back into his life was the last damn thing he needed. Or was it? Did he have it in him to trust her with another chance?
Chapter Nine
Don’t move, let this moment last.
Sarah slowed her breathing. A kaleidoscope of colors from the dust particles in the air danced in the sunrays, seeping through the slits of the blinds in Jason’s bedroom. His musky scent surrounded her and held her as secure as the arm that circled her waist.
His hand rested on her lower abdomen, the tips of his fingers caressing the sensitive skin above her panty line. It was as if they were made to fit together. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and savored the feel and smell of him, committing the moment to memory. He would never know how much she missed him.
“Don’t move an inch,” Jason whispered. “I can’t remember a time in my life I’ve been this comfortable.”
“How did you know I was awake?”
“I’ve been watching you sleep. How’s the forehead?”
The mattress shifted and Jason’s lips lightly touched the corner of the bandage. The simple kiss sent an electric pulse through her body.
“Better, I think.” She shuddered. “The throbbing has stopped.” She touched the area he kissed with her fingers. “Why would you want to watch me sleep?”
