Chapter Nine
From Kelly’s point of view her stay at Dogwood House was nothing if not interesting. It was obvious from the first day that Rick had his own ideas about how things were going to work, and it had nothing to do with Xena’s psychic powers. The first challenge came in the discussion of where she would sleep. Janet had set aside a guest room for her, but Rick refused to hear of it.
“She stays in here with me,” he insisted.
Kelly laughed. “Xena’s your guard, not me.”
“But where Xena stays, you stay. And she’s not leaving my side.” He reached down to caress the dog’s head. “Right, girl?”
Xena woofed.
“See?” Despite his pain, Rick had a glint of mischief in his eyes. “She agrees with me.” He was holding her hand again, something he seemed to do most of the time, and tugged her forward. “I wish this bed was big enough for you to crawl right in here with me,” he whispered. “My body needs some of that special attention.”
“Rick! People are watching us.”
“Good.” One corner of his mouth turned up in a grin. “I want them to be so jealous of me their eyes will turn greener than yours. Now how about another of those healing kisses?”
“Healing?” she teased.
“Oh, yeah. You have no idea how much better they make me feel.
“Honestly. Sleeping in here would definitely generate a lot of questions.”
“Bring ‘em on. I don’t care who knows about us.” His expression turned serious. “Listen, Kelly. You know we’ve got something really good going on here. I don’t care who knows it. Do you? Am I jumping to conclusions here?”
She swallowed a sigh. “Don’t you think things are moving a little fast? What if we’re making a mistake?”
He lifted an eyebrow. “Is that why you closed up your place temporarily and hightailed it down here to find me? Because we might be making a mistake?”
“No, but . . .” She nibbled her lower lip. “Maybe I should sleep in the sitting room. That’s pretty close.”
Rick chuckled. “It might get a little crowded. That’s where Troy sleeps.”
“Oh.” She glanced over at Troy, who was doing his best to swallow a grin.
“Come on. I need you in here, pretty girl.”
Kelly had to laugh, he looked so much like a little boy asking for an early Christmas present.
“Okay, okay. You win.”
She wasn’t really looking forward to bunking on a rollaway, but she had to admit, she wanted to be in the room as much as he wanted her here. Besides, she had a feeling that, little by little, Rick would coax her into the oversize hospital bed he was in the moment he felt well enough to share it with her.
When she got ready for bed that night in the huge adjoining bathroom, her mind kept straying to the unbelievable connection she and Rick shared through Xena. The past couple of days, she’d been reading about people who’d connected like this—channeling through an animal—and formed strong, lasting relationships. Was that what was happening here? Were Xena’s thoughts being relayed to Rick through her? Was that why he was so amenable to everything?
She spent so much time in the bathroom brushing her teeth and her hair and arguing with herself that Rick hollered, “Either you come out of there, or I’m coming in to get you. You wouldn’t want to be responsible for my relapse, would you?”
“Coming,” she called back. She spritzed a little cologne on her pulse points, as much for confidence as anything else.
When she walked back into the bedroom Rick’s eyes widened, and the blue of his irises darkened to almost navy. She was immediately conscious of how thin the material of the sleep shirt actually was and of her normally contained hair, now floating in long waves almost to her waist.
“Come here,” he commanded, his voice soft but firm, and he reached out a hand to her.
I shouldn’t be doing this. He has a major wound that needs to heal.
“I want to touch your hair. I need to touch it. Bend your head down. Please, pretty girl.”
When she leaned forward, he ran the fingers of one hand through her thick tresses.
“Like fine red silk,” he whispered. “So soft. I could touch it forever.” When he draped it forward over her shoulder, the tips of his fingers touched her breasts, which were barely concealed beneath the fabric of her nightshirt. Instantly, her nipples hardened. His hand drifted across the upper slope of her breasts, back and forth, then down to her throbbing nipples.
“God,” he breathed. “You don’t know how good you feel. I’d love to strip you naked right now and touch every inch of your body. Do you have any idea what you do to me? Here. Give me your hand again.”
Before she could realize what he was doing, he tugged her hand under the covers and placed her open palm directly over his cock. Her fingers closed automatically around the swollen shaft, feeling it pulse beneath her touch.
It amazed her that in his debilitated condition she could elicit this kind of reaction from him.
“Rick, I don’t know if this is . . . People are . . .”
“You’re right. I’m sorry.” His voice was husky as she pulled her hand away. “I don’t want to embarrass you, but hell, Kelly, I want to fuck you in the worst way. Feel your sweet little muscles tighten around me. Milking me.”
“Rick, I . . .” She glanced over her shoulder to make sure they were still alone.
He blew out a long breath and gave her one of his killer smiles. “But that doesn’t mean we can’t tease each other a little, right? Meanwhile give me one of those great kisses, and then we’ll both try to sleep.”
“Oh, right,” she laughed. “Sleep.”
“We can meet in our dreams,” he whispered and tugged her head down to his.
She thought it a testament to the man’s natural vigor that even in his debilitated state he wanted to be inside her. His fingers sifted through the flame of her hair again. They were still trailing in the strands when his nighttime medication kicked in, his eyes closed, and he drifted off to sleep.
She slipped beneath the six-hundred-thread-count cotton sheets on the fanciest rollaway she’d ever slept on. She should be drifting easily off to sleep in this luxurious nest, but her body thrummed with such intense sexual anticipation she wondered whether she’d ever get to sleep.
The connection was there. She knew it. She just hoped it was as important to Rick Latrobe as it was to her. That it wasn’t just the urgency and danger of his situation ramping up his feelings. She’d have to guard her heart very carefully.
*****
“Morning, beautiful.”
The husky voice was like a verbal caress as Kelly opened her eyes. For a moment she couldn’t remember where she was or whose bed she had slept in. Then she turned in the direction of the voice and saw Rick looking at her, his vivid blue eyes hot and devouring.
“Hi.”
Now what? Kelly was sure someone would be along for his morning routine. She should make herself scarce.
“Um, Troy will be in here in a minute to help me with some stuff.” Was he reading her mind? “I just thought you should know.”
“Oh.” Then she realized what he was saying. “Oh! Okay. I have to take Xena out anyway.”
“You’ve got time to shower if you want.” He gave her his devil’s grin. “I won’t let him peek.”
She felt her face flush. “Thank you. I’ll be quick.”
She slid out of bed as gracefully as she could and made a dash for the bathroom.
How did I get into this? she asked herself over and over as she took a fast shower, brushed her teeth, and braided her hair. What in hell did I let myself in for? We had great— make that off the charts—sex, but really, we hardly know each other. Yes, there’s something there but is it just a product of this situation?
Same old question, same old answer.
I hope not.
Thanking all the gods and goddesses that she wasn’t a slave to makeup, she brushed gloss onto her lips, then knocked on the door and called, “Safe to come out?”
“Come ahead,” Rick yelled, and she could hear the mischief in his voice. “I’m properly indecent.”
She cracked the door, peering around the edge. When she saw Troy standing beside the bed, the sheet pulled up to Rick’s waist, she hurried into the room. Pulling Xena’s leash out of her purse, she snapped it on the dog’s collar.
“We’ll be back in a bit,” she told the men.
“There’s a door at the far end of the hall on the first floor that leads into a green area,” Troy told her. “Probably the best place for you to go. I already told security to be on the lookout for you.”
“Thanks.”
“Wait!” Rick called.
She turned, halfway toward the sitting room. “Did I forget something?”
“You sure did. My kiss.”
She slid her glance over to Troy.
“I, uh, need to get another pack of bandages,” he told them and loped out of the room.
Kelly moved over to the bed, Xena woofing beside her. Rick reached out for her with his right hand and pulled her close.
“Just one kiss. To hold me until later.”
The kiss was just as steamy as the others had been, and she wondered whether she might incinerate right where she stood. Just a simple contact between them set every nerve in her body sparking and her blood pulsing. She had to restrain herself from crawling up on the bed beside him and feeling his body next to hers.
“That’s enough.” She broke away, trying to catch her breath. “Xena needs attention, too.”
“Hurry back,” he told her.
She hadn’t had much time to look at Dogwood House when they’d arrived the day before. But now, as she wandered through the wide area in back of the graceful building she was impressed by the carefully manicured lawns, the landscaping, and the beautiful dogwood trees. She breathed in the scent of freshly cut grass in the air. Bearing no resemblance to a hospital or nursing home, this was definitely a place for the very rich and famous to hide from the prying eyes of the media or anyone who might want to do them harm.
Xena investigated every inch of space, lifting her nose now and then as if testing the wind for a scent of danger.
There is nothing here to be afraid of.
“Well, that’s good,” Kelly told the dog. “I think that’s why they brought Rick to this expensive fortress.”
But the danger is far from over. Be alert, Kelly.
“I think that’s why they brought us here. So we can sense anything they might not be aware of.”
Besides, this way you and Rick can spend time together.
Kelly burst out laughing. “You wouldn’t be trying to play matchmaker, would you?”
Her laughter was interrupted by a sudden growl from Xena who instantly was back beside her. “Whoa, Xena. What’s going on?”
“Excuse me. Miss Monroe?” The voice came from behind her.
Kelly whirled, heart tripping in an erratic beat. A man in the Dogwood House security uniform of navy blazer and gray slacks had come up so silently only Xena had been aware of him.
She pressed her hand to her chest. “Wow. You gave me a bit of a scare here. You know who I am?”
“Yes, ma’am. Sorry if I frightened you. I just heard you talking to someone, but I don’t see anyone else here.”
“Oh, that.” She let out a shaky laugh. “I was talking to my dog.”
He lifted one eyebrow. “Your dog?”
She waved a hand at the air. “Yes. Don’t most people?” She looked down at Xena. “Anyway, we’re done here. Come on, girl.”
The guard nodded politely to her on her way back in, but she could feel eyes on her as she led Xena to the elevator and rode up to the second floor.
Rick was up and sitting in a chair when she came back into the room, the first time he’d been out of bed since she arrived. His hair, grown longer since he was in Maine, was wet and finger-combed back from his face, and he was freshly shaved and wearing a clean T-shirt and sweatpants. Relief coursed through her. Better. He was really better.
In front of him was a table set for breakfast for two.
“I don’t know what you usually eat,” he told her, “so I hope bacon and eggs is okay.”
“Fine. Anything is fine. Should you be up like this?”
He nodded. “Troy’s actually been getting me out of bed every day so I can exercise my muscles and build up my strength. I can’t lie around forever.” He lowered his voice. “I can think of some very healing exercise, can’t you?”
Kelly laughed. “Aren’t you being a little overambitious?”
“Just hopeful.” He winked. “You never know until you try.”
She eyed him critically, seeing the telltale outline of the bandages beneath his T-shirt. But if Troy said it was all right, she had to go along with it. The man knew what he was talking about.
“Come on.” Rick gestured toward the table. “Don’t let the food get cold, Red.”
Red. She liked the nickname.
She was fascinated, watching him eat, seeing the play of muscle in his arms as he lifted his fork or his cup. She couldn’t stop looking at the strong planes of his face, the line of his jaw, the mane of sun-streaked hair.
“Your breakfast is getting cold.”
She looked up, startled. His eyes danced with amusement. She lifted her coffee cup to distract herself. And him. “Sorry. I was just thinking about something.”
“I hope it was the same thing I was thinking about.”
Fire blazed in his eyes, and Kelly nearly dropped her cup.
The electric awareness between them was hard to miss. Anyone coming into the room—Troy, who spent more and more time in the sitting room with his laptop and cell phone, or Dan or Mike on their brief visits—politely did their best to ignore it. But Rick used every excuse to pull her close to him, to touch her, to steal a kiss from her.
By the end of the day she realized a routine had been set up to guarantee his safety, and it seemed to be working. Janet had given orders that none of the staff was to enter the suite. Troy handled the medical side, and their meals were left on a rolling table in the hallway, the aide knocking to let them know whenever it arrived. She was with him every moment, and Xena never moved from Rick’s side, not even to sleep next to Kelly. When any of the partners came into the room, the dog became instantly alert and watchful. Although she knew them and Kelly had signaled them as friendly, it was obvious she trusted no one where Rick’s safety was concerned.
“Well, that’s what we wanted,” Dan commented that afternoon when Xena sniffed him all over again. “We certainly got it.”
Nights were becoming a challenge, however. The second night Rick coaxed her to climb up into the bed with him, holding her against his uninjured side. She made sure to close the door first. She couldn’t lock him away from Troy if he needed treatment, but a closed door would certainly be a signal. Xena lay on the floor where Kelly had signaled her to be at rest.
“I refuse to let you do anything,” she told him sternly.
“Oh?” he teased. “How about this?”
His hand slipped beneath the hem of her sleep shirt and inched past the elastic band of her bikini panties. When his fingers found the heat of her sex, she didn’t know which of them groaned louder.
“I promise this won’t injure me,” he breathed against her ear. “But holding back might do me serious damage.”
“You’re incorrigible,” she whispered. Widening her thighs to give him better accessibility.
“Take off your panties,” he told her, already trying to push them down her thighs.
Kelly easily slipped them off, dropping them to the floor beside the bed. Then Rick’s hand was back, big and warm, sliding over her wet heat and cupping her mound.
“You have no idea how many nights I’ve thought about doing this,” he told her. “When I was shot and riding the hard edge of pain, the thought of your sweet body was the only thing that got me through it all.” His fingers moved up and down inside the lips, massaging the slick flesh. “What I really want is my cock inside you. Here.” One finger slid into her channel, then out.
Kelly jumped at the electric jolt of the touch and clenched around the probing finger.
“The very first minute it’s possible,” he told her in a voice rough with need, “you’re going to feel my cock inside you. All of you is mine. Got that, Red?”
Kelly shivered at his words. “That implies a lot more than you might be willing to give,” she told him. It was hard trying to form thoughts when his fingers had returned to her sex and were stroking and rubbing every inch.
“In my line of work when you know something’s good, you don’t let go of it.” He licked the shell of her ear. “What about you, pretty girl? What are you willing to give?”
Everything. All of it.
“All of me,” she told him in a soft voice. “Always.”
“When this mess is over, we’re making plans. I just want you to know that.”
Anything else she might have wanted to say was lost in the sensations sweeping over her. Rick stroked her clit, circling it with the tip of his finger until she thought she would go mad with the rampaging desire. When he slid two fingers into her, she clamped her thighs together, holding him inside.
His soft chuckle vibrated in her ear. “That what you want?” he asked, moving his fingers in and out.
“Oh. Yes. Please.”
Her hips moved, matching the rhythm of his hand, pushing down hard every time he thrust inside her. She could feel her orgasm gathering deep inside her. When he pulled his hand away, she cried out in protest.
Rick shoved away the sheet and blanket covering him. “Come up here, Kelly. Straddle me.”
“Oh, Rick, I don’t think . . .”
“Right. Don’t think. I’ve been thinking about this all day. I’m a lot stronger than you think. Shit, I’ve crawled out of hellholes feeling worse than this. It’s what I do. I can really handle this, Red. What I can’t handle is not being inside you for one more day. But you’ll have to do the work.”
“I don’t want to injure you.”
“You won’t. I’ll guide you.” When she glanced at the door he said, “I told Troy to stay the hell away tonight. If I needed him one of us would yell.”
“What about—”
He reached beneath his pillow and pulled out a condom, grinning. “I got it out of my kit today when I shaved.”
Her laugh was a breathless sound. “Talk about planning ahead. Okay, okay. But if I hurt you—”
“You won’t. Get over here.”
Biting her lip, she eased herself over his body, keeping her weight on her knees. She took the condom from him and rolled it down on his very hard, very erect cock. Then, using every bit of control she could muster, with Rick’s hands at her waist holding her, she lowered herself onto his erection, bit by bit, until he was completely inside her.
“Oh, Jesus,” he breathed. “This is all I’ve dreamed about.”
With Rick firmly gripping her hips, helping her, Kelly moved slowly up and down on his erection, picking up speed only when he urged her with his hands. It was a delicate balancing act, but she managed to take most of the effort for herself.
“Rub your clit,” he told her in a hoarse voice. “Let me see you play with yourself, Red. Come on.”
She moved her right hand over between her thighs, found the sensitive button, and stroked in a rhythm that matched the movement of her body. She had never masturbated in front of a man before, but somehow with Rick everything seemed natural.
His body tightened beneath her, and his fingers dug into her, a signal that he was close. Very close. But so was she.
“You ready?” he rasped.
“Yes. Oh, yes.”
Up and down again, again. Then the final clenching of muscles, his body taut as a bow, hers arching back, and they exploded. She shuddered as the spasms raced through her, muscles convulsing, milking him, his cock emptying into the latex in hot, thick spurts.
Still breathing heavily, her skin covered with perspiration, she eased herself from his body and slid off the bed.
“Don’t move,” she told him.
“Yeah, right.” His laugh was unsteady.
She brought facial tissues and a warm cloth from the bathroom, efficiently disposing of the condom and cleaning his groin of her juices that had spilled onto him. When she was finished, she pulled the covers up and leaned over him to give him a kiss.
“Sleep with me,” he begged. “Please.”
Kelly shook her head. “No, and for a lot of reasons. But I’ll be right next to you.” She grinned. “And if you behave you might get another treat tomorrow.” The smile disappeared when she saw him wince. “I hurt you, didn’t I? I knew this was a bad idea.”
“I’m fine. I’d tell you if I wasn’t, okay?”
“You sure you don’t need a pain pill?”
“Hell, no. What we did is better than any drugs. I’m fine. Great. Better than great. And I’ll let you off the hook tonight, but tomorrow we renegotiate.”
Kelly slipped beneath the covers of her bed, her body sated for the first time in days.
For the next two days Troy got Rick up twice a day for long walks, each time pushing a little harder, a little longer. When he announced he thought they would move on to more strenuous exercise, he glanced from Rick to Kelly, his face impassive, but a corner of his mouth twitched with the hint of a smile. “I figure you’re ready to handle it.”
Kelly and Xena watched each day as Rick went through the exercises in Dogwood House’s physical therapy room, and accompanied him on his walks. And at night he’d managed to coax her up into the bed with him, despite her misgivings that someone might walk in.
“I have nothing to hide,” he told her. “They need to get used to this.”
Kelly was getting used to it, too. The pace of their lovemaking at night was still slow, and often inventive if Rick was particularly sore from his therapy. But she had to admit it was heaven, sleeping in his arms and feeling his warmth against her.
She’d never felt this kind of closeness with a man. Ever. As if already she was part of him.
He couldn’t get enough of looking at her. Rick lay in his bed and let his eyes travel over her lithe figure curled up in the big chair where she was reading. With each passing day, she became more and more a part of him.
The scent of her perfume lingered in the room, reminding him of vanilla and jasmine. Just a hint of it made his body sit up and demand attention. Everything she did tantalized him. The way she draped her braid over one shoulder when she was reading or working on her laptop. Just watching her eat was an exercise in sensuality, her small tongue licking her full lips to catch every bite of food. The smooth play of muscles in her throat whenever she drank.
Today they’d taken another walk after lunch, and when he lay down to nap, she dug a book out of her seemingly bottomless duffel bag to pass the time. Now she sat with those long legs curled up under her, the fat braid draped over her shoulder and resting on the slope of one breast, her magnificent hair glowing in the light from the reading lamp like a thick flame.
The soft T-shirt she wore, a pale green that showed off the alabaster look of her skin, draped softly against breasts that filled his hand just right, their nipples poking into the center of his palms.
He felt his groin tighten just thinking about all the things they were managing to do at night. He could never get enough of her. And it wasn’t just sex, which amazed him. In such a short time she’d filled all the empty spaces in his heart. Maybe in his soul. He tired of most women very easily. He’d learned long ago that those who stuck, those who understood what drove a man like him, were very rare.
Mark and Faith had grown up together, yet it had taken a crisis to make them realize what they had. For Mia and Dan, it had been instantaneous and binding. But for him, with Kelly, it seemed as if they’d known each other forever, and life had taken this long to put them together. She was bright and funny and interesting. They never ran out of things to talk about or stories to laugh at. He was getting to the point where he begrudged her even the time it took for her to shower and dress each morning. He couldn’t wait until they could do it together. Maybe it was the dog. More and more, he was becoming convinced of the value of psychic powers in everyday life. Certainly Xena had helped them leap over several circuits to make the connection.
Kelly shifted in her chair and flipped a page, tugging on her bottom lip with her teeth as she concentrated on the book. Every movement of hers fascinated him.
He’d teased Dan about the speed at which his and Mia’s relationship progressed from nothing to forever, and now he was in the same boat. He could never let this woman out of his life. Yes, this one he was keeping, no matter what he had to do to accomplish it.
He closed his eyes as sleep crawled over him, picturing her naked. Oh, God, he was so hooked.
*****
As the days passed, Rick continued to improve. His sessions in the therapy room were more intense, his walks longer. He still insisted she keep her arm around him when they walked, although he certainly didn’t need support.
“This is just an excuse to get my hands on you, Red,” he whispered as he kept her pulled into his side, his arm wrapped around her shoulder.
She didn’t argue. She loved the feel of his muscles under her hand, the flex and movement. The heat of him. He was all male, leashed power, even in his present condition. Just leaning into him, his arm over her shoulder, made her feel warm and protected. Kelly had never met a man who aroused her so easily and so completely, who made her want him as much as Rick Latrobe did. Their nights were unbelievable. For a man recovering from a major injury, he managed to accomplish amazing things in bed.
Xena was their shadow every step of the way, growling low in her throat if someone she didn’t know entered their space. After the first time it happened, Janet Houseman suggested they take Rick down in the elevator to a secluded garden for his exercise.
“It won’t do my reputation much good if my patients get eaten by a large dog,” she joked.
In the garden area he took every opportunity to touch her. “I wish you could take off your clothes and let me see you naked in the sunlight, Red.” Rick’s voice was low and filled with need.
Her own body responded to the image he created, nipples hardening and moisture gathering between her thighs. “I think that might cause a bit of a disturbance, don’t you?”
His smile was straight from the devil. “Yes, but it would be worth it, don’t you think?”
Then she cocked her head. “Red? You called me that before. I like it, but where did that come from?”
He brushed the silky strands of hair that had escaped from her braid. “From here. It’s like a flame, the most beautiful hair I’ve ever seen.”
Kelly laughed. “You have such a smooth line.”
He grinned. “Yeah?” Then he sobered. “It’s not a line, Red. I mean every word.”
He was leaning against a tree at the moment, Kelly’s body pulled up to his. She could feel every hard ridge and plane, every dip and swell. The thickness of his shaft as it pressed against her, swelling at the touch. His mouth had captured hers in one of the drugging kisses that made her forget even where she was and left her body quivering with need.
They broke the kiss only when they reached the point of possible oxygen deprivation. Rick cupped her face gently between his hands and dusted her skin with light kisses. Every place his mouth touched her she felt the heat of a flame. When he put his lips on hers, she boldly licked at his mouth, then opened for his welcome tongue.
“We’re going to drive ourselves nuts,” he rasped. “I don’t know if a hundred years would give me all the time I want with you.” When she dropped her eyes, he asked, “What’s wrong?”
“I worry sometimes that you’re confusing this with gratitude. Or that you’re just . . .” She bit her lip.
“Just what?” he prompted.
“Horny.” She felt herself blush as she said it.
Rick gave a strangled laugh. “That’s probably true.” Then his face grew serious. “But I told you. This is so much more than that, Red. This is more than anything I’ve ever felt before. For anyone. The others might as well have never existed. I want you to believe that. We haven’t known each other that long, but I want you in my life.”
“Your life is all over the world,” she reminded him.
“But I can live anywhere. Look at the Hallorans and Romeos. They chose where they wanted a home base. I can do the same.”
“Don’t you think we’re rushing to that point a little hastily? What if we decide we can’t stand each other?”
He brushed his lips against hers. “Not a chance in a million.”
Xena, who had been sitting quietly at their feet, leaned against Kelly and nudged her toward Rick.
“See?” he laughed. “Even Xena’s on my side.”
Kelly looked at the dog, who stared straight into her eyes as if sending her a message. “Xena and I may need to have a long talk,” she joked.
Troy did his best not to notice the way their faces were flushed when he collected them to walk back inside the building.
They talked about anything and everything. A lot. She told him how she’d gotten into the dog-training business. He told her about his football days and his life in Special Forces. They discussed books. Music. Movies. Their lives growing up. Families.
And she had to admit to herself that he was right—it wasn’t just the physical attraction that was growing between them, although they were nearly at the point of combustibility. And then one morning she woke up and realized this man had truly become an irrevocable part of her life. But now there were other things to consider.
As his surgical wounds healed, Rick’s impatience grew. Kelly knew how hard it was for him being out of the loop this way. She was glad his partners had insisted he have the time to heal, but it was way past time to get him back in the game, at least mentally. Troy called the office every day and then gave him regular updates, and the others stopped in as time permitted. But Kelly knew they were wrestling with the fallout from the Iraq situation as well as handling other agency business.
“I have to get out of here,” he kept saying when she tried to get him to rest. “If we don’t find out what happened to those weapons, Phoenix will be in bigger trouble than anyone can imagine.”
*****
Nearly two weeks had passed since Kelly and Xena arrived at Dogwood House. They had all just come back from the garden, and Rick was sprawled on the couch in the suite’s sitting room rather than in his bed, when Mark and Mike arrived. Despite the grimness of their expressions, they both allowed themselves small grins at the sight of Kelly sitting next to him, her small hand in his large one. Xena, as always, stood guard at their feet.
“I always said there’s no medicine like TLC,” Mike commented.
Kelly felt heat rise in her cheeks, but Rick just held her hand tighter.
“Didn’t you say I needed someone taking care of me at all times?” he asked.
“Well, yeah,” Mark joked, “but we meant Troy.” His face sobered. “But you know that’s not why we’re here.”
“I hope it’s to bring me up to date. I need to know what’s been going on. And why no one wants to let me read the newspaper or watch the news on television.” He made a face at Kelly. “Red, here, hides the television remote.”
Kelly bit her lip and looked at Troy. He’d taken her aside and told her about the media circus the situation was causing. They agreed it wouldn’t do Rick any good to see himself and the agency being crucified, especially when everything being reported was still just speculation.
“Good girl.” Mike nodded his approval.
“Yeah, right,” Rick snorted. “Never get between a man and his remote. So come on. Out with it. What have you been doing, and what’s going on? From the looks on your faces, I’d say it’s more bad news.”
“Let’s say Charlie Grainger is doing his best to arrange for the agency’s funeral,” Mark told him. “Dan’s meeting with him again even as we speak. GC is out a truckload of money, and that cargo was our responsibility. Not to mention the fact that we don’t know whose hands it ended up in. Or where they’ll use them.” He heaved a sigh. “But that’s not the whole thing.”
Rick frowned. “You mean there’s more?”
“We think someone’s been checking out your house and the airfield.”
Rick pushed himself up straighter in the chair. “What do you mean? Did you spot something funny?”
Mike leaned against the wall and crossed his arms. “Let’s admit to the fact that we all know whoever’s trying to kill you isn’t going to stop. They expected you to be dead in Iraq. Unfortunately for them, you survived. Now they have to finish the job.”
As if she actually understood the words, Xena pressed harder against Rick’s legs and made a low sound in her throat.
“I swear to God she understands what we say,” Mark said, meeting the dog’s gaze. “Listen, Xena. Just so you know. We’re keeping an eye on things, just in case.” He looked back at Rick. “Dan assigned Alpha Team to monitor any action in the areas where they might look for you. They just finished turning in their latest reports.”
“And?” he pushed.
“You live in a quiet neighborhood. The traffic there is easy to identify. Whoever’s scoping you out can’t be too smart, because too many strange cars have been casing your house. Three or four different ones each day. At least they’re not stupid enough to want anyone to be too familiar with a particular vehicle.”
“Dan told our team not to stop anyone they don’t recognize,” Mark put in. “Just to see if we could track them. The cars were all switched in a parking garage downtown. But they turned out to be rentals, and all the names are fakes. We’ve got pictures for you to look at to see if you recognize anyone, but personally, I’m not too optimistic.”
“But back to stupid, the long-range cameras have also picked up the same cars trolling the airfield,” Mike added. “Whoever it is must be frustrated as hell because he can’t find you and isn’t thinking too clearly. He’s leaving too many threads dangling.”
“Which could be a factor in our favor.” Rick looked at the pictures Mark handed him and shook his head. “Nope. Don’t recognize any of them.” He looked up. “Why is it so important for them to get rid of me?”
“Because you know something,” Mark said, “even if you don’t think you do. Somewhere in that brain of yours is the thread to tie everything together, and they can’t afford for that to happen.”
Kelly snapped her fingers. “The accident the day after we met.” She looked at Rick. “Remember? I think they didn’t want you going on that trip because you have too much knowledge of the situation in Baghdad and could possibly screw up their operation.”
Rick rubbed his forehead. “I just wish to hell I could figure out what it is I know.”
“Maybe where Jordan would disappear to? Or who he might have contact with?” Mike shrugged. “I don’t know, but we’re pulling out all the stops and digging into every detail. Thing is, this wasn’t just your everyday insurgent hijacking. This was a well-planned operation. Greg Jordan’s smart but not that smart. And he doesn’t have the clout to pull off something like this by himself. He’s taking his orders from someone with brains, money, and contacts. Someone who made millions out of this and who was sure they’d get away clean.”
“Whoever it is,” Rick said in a thoughtful voice, “did they think I’d be the only one to go after them? Didn’t they know if they killed me, you guys would never rest until you found them?”
“Maybe not, and that makes them pretty stupid. Meanwhile, Janet says you can get out of here by the end of the week. That means we need to find someplace safe to stash you.”
A determined look flashed in Rick’s eyes. “First of all, I’m not letting them chase me out of my house again. Secondly, if I go into hiding, we’ll never be able to draw them out, and I’ll be dodging bullets forever. The only way to get them to act is to put myself squarely in their line of sight and trust that you all will have my back. Don’t try to talk me out of this.”
Kelly watched the byplay between the men with interest. She knew Rick would prevail. She’d learned in their short time together that was just the way he was. He assessed the situation, then acted, and no one could deter him.
“I guess you’re right,” Mark agreed with obvious reluctance, “although I hate putting your ass on the line like this.”
“The only way we can do it is if we set up Alpha Team on watch for the next attempt.” He looked over at Kelly and Xena. “But if you plan to hang yourself out there for target practice, we need to send Kelly and Xena back home. They’ve been here for two weeks, and luckily there hasn’t been an attempt to breach the security here. But I’m sure you’ll agree we don’t need to put them in harm’s way.”
“Wait a minute.” Kelly dropped Rick’s hand and stood up, anger streaking through her. “I think I have a say about this.”
Rick reached up and grabbed her hand again. “Hold it, Red. Mike’s right. There’s no way I’m taking a chance with your safety. Period. That’s not even up for negotiation.”
She glared at him, fury making her heart race faster. “I’m not asking you to. I’m putting myself there.” She looked from one man to the other. “I can shoot a handgun and a rifle, I know close-quarters combat techniques, and I have a weapon that no one else does.” She pointed to Xena. “And she becomes a protector for both Rick and me. Didn’t you want that extra scent of danger? Isn’t that why you have us here?”
I’m not letting them shut me away from him. Not now.
The men all looked at one another, then back at Kelly.
Rick cleared his throat. “Listen, Red . . .”
“Don’t you ‘Listen, Red’ me. I’m coming home with you, and that’s final.” She turned to the others. “If it was okay for me to go to Iraq, then it’s okay for me to go home with Rick. Get over it.”
Mark and Mike exchanged a glance.
“Sounds like someone I know.” Mike’s lips twitched in a barely concealed grin.
“All right,” Mark said. “I won’t say it doesn’t make me feel easier to have Xena there, because it does. But we set the ground rules, and you follow orders at all times. Right?”
“Absolutely.”
“And you don’t go out of the house at all. No runs with Xena. She gets her five minutes in the morning and five minutes at night, by herself, and that’s all.”
“Agreed, agreed, agreed.” She’d agree to whatever she had to. There was absolutely no way she was leaving him now. She dropped back down to the couch next to Rick. “So you’re stuck with me.”
He laced his fingers through hers and lifted her hand to his mouth, placing a soft kiss on it. “I can’t imagine anything I’d like better, as long as we keep you safe.”
“What about your business?” Mike asked.
“I made arrangements before I came down here. I have very good help. We finished with the dogs we had and turned them over to the clients. Everyone’s on paid vacation right now.”
And when this is all over, that’s first on my agenda.
“The agency will cover that cost,” Rick said. “And no arguments from you, Red,” he added when she opened her mouth to protest. “It’s a done deal.” He pulled her against him and brushed his lips against hers.
When she sat back up, Kelly noticed that the other two men were studiously avoiding commenting on the byplay in front of them.
“When will we be leaving here?” she asked.
“Sunday’s a good day,” Mark said. “Gives us time to check the electronic security setup again and get Alpha Team briefed and in place.”
“All right, Sunday it is.”
*****
The first raid in Northern Iraq had gone extremely well. Al-Dulami had drawn the borders of the territory he wished to recapture, then divided it into sectors. They would do this one village at a time, setting up an outpost in each place as it fell to their control. By the time the firefight in the first village was over, the villagers had accepted their fate, many of them actually welcoming al-Dulami’s return, and he had left a cadre of his men in charge.
The second and third raids were equally as successful, consolidating the area under al-Dulami’s control and invigorating his men with the adrenaline of success.
It won’t be long now, he told himself. Then they’ll see where the power is.
But something went wrong with their next foray. The coalition forces, receiving information on the other raids, had time to plan and prepare and were waiting for him. Rather than sacrifice his men to a losing cause, al-Dulami had opted for a strategic retreat and time to revise his plan.
But ten of his men had been killed, a fact that depressed him even as he was prepared for the inevitable loss of life such a campaign produced. Ordering the others to make sure they left no weapons that could be traced, the men managed to melt into the night like shadows, even the sound of the Humvee covered by other noises.
He worried that in the gunfight and retreat someone might have left a rifle behind. He knew if that was so, and it was retrieved by one of the American soldiers, it would unleash a firestorm of epic proportions. He could only pray to Allah that this did not happen..
*****
Staff Sergeant Rory Karnes was tired, sweaty, and dirty. They had waited two long days and nights for the attack on the village, one of three places their commanding officer had determined whoever was doing this would strike next. The only thing they knew for sure was that it wasn’t any of the regular groups of insurgents they were fighting. These people were better trained and more determined, and not a breath of information about them had leaked out. But they had obviously not expected their campaign to be disrupted and derailed so quickly.
Karnes dismissed his men and headed for his CO to make his after-action report. And to show him the rifle he’d picked up from beneath a dead body. Unlike most of the weapons they recovered, this one still had the serial number visible enough to read. If they could trace where this came from, maybe they could find out who this new group was and who was providing the weapons for them.
Just what we need. A war on another front.
Captain John Lange listened quietly to the report and took the weapon from Karnes. As soon as the sergeant left, he picked up his sat phone and punched in a number.
“You need to check something for me,” he told the voice on the other end. “We may have a lead on what happened to those hijacked weapons.”
*****
The move from Virginia back to Rick’s house was made late Sunday night, when there was very little traffic on the street so anything unusual would be easy for the Phoenix men to spot. The partners tried once more to get Rick to go back to the agency condo, but he was having none of it.
“I can’t keep hiding,” he insisted. “And everything I need is at my house. Besides, if I’m hidden away we can’t smoke anyone out. We’ve already discussed this, so just do what you have to do to get ready.”
“You’re still far from a hundred percent,” Dan argued.
“I’m good to go.” He looked at Kelly and Xena. “And besides. I have my own special guard troops.”
Dan reluctantly made the arrangements. He had two cars patrolling a six-block area, checking for anything that looked the least bit out of the ordinary, verifying license plates on laptops that were hooked directly into the Dragon to make sure the vehicles belonged in the area.
They decided to use Kelly’s truck for the move, hoping if someone was watching they’d think a stranger was visiting. Troy was delegated to pick them up since Dan was busy handling Charlie Grainger and Mark was heading up the investigation into the fiasco in Baghdad. The men were calling in every favor they could and pulling contacts out of the woodwork in their search for answers.
Troy drove with his eyes scanning in every direction, especially when they turned onto Rick’s street and pulled into his driveway. He lifted the radio from the seat and said in a soft voice, “Check in now.”
Kelly could hear each of the men stationed outside signal an “all clear,” and Troy clicked off. Everyone relaxed marginally when they were all inside without incident.
“I’ll take your truck back to the city,” Troy told Kelly, “make sure I haven’t picked up a tail, and stash it in my garage. You should be set for supplies. When we stocked your groceries, we also got more food for Xena.”
“Thank you,” Kelly told him. “I was just about out.”
He looked around. “I hate to go off and leave you guys, just in case we’ve missed something.”
“I do have a gun, and I’m not completely crippled,” Rick argued with an edge to his voice.
“And if you can do me a favor, we’ll be even better off,” Kelly added.
“Name it.”
“Can you get my guns out of my truck without it looking too obvious?”
“Guns?” both men chorused and looked at her with equal curiosity.
She huffed her impatience. “I told you at the clinic I’m an expert with a handgun and a rifle. I always carry them with me. My father taught me to shoot when I was twelve. It comes in handy, living out in the middle of nowhere.”
Troy snapped out of his daze. “What kind and where are they?”
“My H&K 9mm is under the driver’s seat in a frame I had installed for it. The rifle is under the backseat.”
The men looked at one another again as if she’d just spoken in a strange tongue.
Kelly stamped her foot with impatience. “Haven’t you ever met a woman who could shoot before?”
Troy shook himself. “I’ll get them. No sweat.”
Despite what she’d said, when he carried them into the house, neither man could hide his surprised admiration as she expertly checked the weapons, slipped the H&K into the small of her back, and laid the rifle on the table in the hall.
“So I shouldn’t worry if I need someone to protect me?” Rick teased.
“Only if you’re nice to me,” she joked back.
His electric blue eyes heated, darkening. “You have no idea how nice I’d like to be to you.”
“Later,” she whispered and turned to Troy. “Okay. I’d say we’re good to go. What’s next?”
“I’m going to take a look at Rick’s wound one last time, although it’s completely healed, then get out of here. I’ll check in with you after a while. And I’ll leave my radio with you so you can communicate with the team. I’ve got another one.” He looked at Kelly, then at Xena. “If anything seems hinky, call me right away.”
“What if we need transportation?” Rick asked. “My truck, as you know, was totaled.”
“Not that I expect you to be going anywhere,” Troy grinned, “but there’s a brand new Lincoln Navigator sitting in your garage. Try not to wreck this one, okay?”
The first order of business was to give Xena some necessary time in the backyard. Rick set up a procedure for them to follow. He’d kill the alarm for a few minutes, Kelly would open the back door and let the dog out, then close it while the animal did her thing. Both of them would wait, guns ready, in the utility room until she called the dog back in. Then the alarm went on again.
Before she opened the back door, Kelly whispered in the dog’s ear.
I can’t go outside with you. Come right back.
Okay.
Look for danger. Anything smells wrong, let me know.
I won’t let anything hurt you. Either of you.
I know. I trust you. We have to take care of Rick.
Xena barked and, as soon as the door opened, she loped out into the yard.
“Faith’s Aunt Vivi would salivate if you told her about the mental conversations you and Xena have,” Rick told her while they waited for the dog to finish up outside. “She’s the one who helped Faith refine her own psychic abilities.”
“I’m going to call her while we’re here, if it’s okay.”
Rick nodded. “She’d love it. And you should call Faith and Mia, too.”
The minute they were locked up tight again, alone in the house, the atmosphere changed, becoming more charged. Electric. They were in the entry hall, standing so close together she could count every eyelash, looking at each other in a suddenly awkward silence.
Kelly cleared her throat. “Well. The trip can’t have been too comfortable for you, and it’s pretty late. Probably you should get out of those clothes and get into bed.”
Rick moved a fraction of an inch closer, his warm hands resting on her shoulders. “Exactly what I had in mind.”
Before she could move, his mouth came down on hers, lightly at first, then pressing more firmly. Her arms automatically wound themselves around his neck, pulling him closer, and she relaxed against him.
“That’s it, Red,” he whispered against her mouth. “Let yourself feel. I’ve been waiting for this all day. Getting you in my own bed. Naked.”
His lips were warm as they brushed back and forth against hers, his teeth nibbling gently at the corners, biting lightly on her lower lip. When his tongue parted the seam of her mouth, she opened without a protest, allowing his tongue to sweep inside. Sparks of lightning shot through her, turning her legs to jelly and her blood to liquid fire. She couldn’t remember a kiss ever affecting her like this in her life. But then, she’d never known a man like Rick Latrobe before, either.
She could have stayed there like that forever, with her body pressed against his, feeling his erection hard against her, his hands holding her, his tongue tantalizing her. Then her brain kicked in, and she pulled her head back enough to catch her breath. When she opened her eyes, his blue ones were blazing into hers.
“Time for bed, pretty girl.”
“Aren’t you worried about the people out there trying to kill you?” Even as aroused as she was, Kelly couldn’t get the thought out of her head.
He pressed light kisses to her forehead, her nose, her chin. “I’ll tell you what. An hour from now all that crap will still be there. Right now we’re going up to my room, where I’m going to follow your advice, take off my clothes, and get into bed. But only if you get in there with me.”