Fulfilling Promises (Red Starr, Book Five) (14 page)

“Is it really?”

Trigger’s question fluttered away as he bent his head far enough to place his soft lips inches from hers. She remembered exactly how smooth and practiced they were. His Southern charm and carefree attitude had nothing on his sensual allure. He could lure a rattlesnake right out from under a rotten tree stump, but it was she who was captivated by his backwoods charisma.

“Friends…”

“With benefits.” Trigger finished her sentence, leaning in until there wasn’t room for air between them. Devyn had to slide her hands up his chest and over his shoulders as their bodies curved into one another. Why did those two words sound more like a question than a statement? “I think there’s something you should know.”

Devyn didn’t want to know anything other than the feel of his kiss. She’d missed this—his touch, his magnetism, and his ability to make her forget about the outside world. She didn’t give him a chance to tell her what he’d wanted to, but instead slipped her fingers through his silky hair and pulled him to her before he could ruin the moment.

Trigger’s lips sealed against hers, taking her back a year and a half when they would heat up the smoldering Mississippi nights and spend hours having sex to quench their thirst for one another. He tasted just as sweet as the iced tea at his mama’s house and just as addictive as the cane sugar she’d used to make it. One of his hands held the back of her head steady while the other slid down her body and raised her knee, giving him the ability to lift her up onto the counter before deepening their kiss.

Arousal had engulfed her like flames of a consuming fire, accomplishing what she’d wanted in this moment. There was nothing but the two of them. Reality slipped away as their tongues danced, their hands roamed, and their excitement for one another rose in pitch. The bulge of his jeans fit perfectly against her core and she gasped when pleasure shot through her when he’d rubbed himself against that sensitive spot through the white pants she still wore.

Trigger’s lips were no longer against hers, but instead caressing her neck until she let her head fall back between her shoulders.
This
was what she needed more than anything and she bit her lip when he did the same number on the cord in her neck. Damn, that was hot and it made her want his mouth and teeth everywhere and elsewhere…that is, until he ruined it by telling her what he’d wanted to earlier.

“I want more, Dev,” Trigger whispered against her heated skin before taking both of his hands and cradling her face so she couldn’t look away from him and ignore his plea. His dark eyes conveyed the truth to his words and she’d never been more scared in her life. “I want more than just friends with benefits. I want you in my life.”

‡

T
rigger wasn’t one
for regret and he had no compunction for telling Devyn the truth about where any future relationship was headed. Could his timing have been better? Absolutely.

It wasn’t a surprise when Diesel had opted to go with Devyn when she’d initially chosen to hole up in her bedroom. It was now going on two in the morning and neither Devyn nor Diesel had made any attempt to open the door. Had she really been that surprised by his suggestion?

Trigger shoved the worn Pendleton blanket off of him and onto the back of the couch. He sat up and ran a hand through his thick hair in frustration. He was getting damned tired of sleeping in his jeans as well, but it was evident from Devyn’s headstrong behavior that the situation wasn’t going to change anytime soon. He couldn’t get any sleep, not with all that was running through his mind, so he decided he might as well make good use of this time.

Trigger reached for his shirt and pulled it over his head before grabbing his holster and clipping it onto his belt. He didn’t want to go downstairs in bare feet, but he didn’t want to have to lace up his boots and bang around, waking Devyn up. He pulled his go-bag closer and sifted through the contents until he found his pair of leather flip-flops. They were perfect for when he hit the beach in San Diego where the sun heated up the sand like it was on fire and they would have to do for this short trip downstairs.

“I didn’t expect to see you this late,” Isaac said to Trigger as he entered the bar area. He looked over his shoulder. “Everything okay?”

“Yeah, I just couldn’t sleep. I thought I’d make some calls from the office.”

“Those sirens probably woke you up,” Isaac said, palming his car keys. “Everyone was pretty tense thinking they were stopping here, but they faded and drove out southwest. Do you need anything to drink before I go?”

“No, I appreciate the gesture though.” Trigger would have taken the man up on his offer, most likely with a shot of whiskey, had he not needed to keep his head on straight. “You be careful on the drive home. There’s some bad folks moving around out there in the dark.”

“Always do,” Isaac replied with a smile and a wave as he made his way to the front of the tavern. “Have a good night.”

Trigger waited where he was until he heard the sound of the deadbolt engaging. He would double check the security before returning upstairs to Devyn’s apartment, but for now he wanted to touch base with Starr. The woman never slept anyway.

It wasn’t long before he was behind Devyn’s desk with the receiver in his hand. He dialed Starr’s cell phone by memory and wasn’t surprised when she picked up on the second ring.

“How’s it going in the bizarre world of D.C.?” Trigger asked, noticing how distracted she sounded.

“Not the way I’d hoped, actually,” Starr replied with a little frustration in her voice. She wasn’t one to show her hand usually, but he figured she deserved to let out some anger with all that she was dealing with lately. “I might be here for another week shuffling between offices on the E ring and Foggy Bottom, so Gunny’s in charge of things back home. How is it on your end?”

Trigger almost answered, but then decided to follow up on the reason she was being delayed. Starr was always looking out for her team—old and new—instead of herself.

“What’s keeping you around there?”

Silence filled the air and Trigger leaned back in the desk chair, relaxing against the leather. He crossed his ankles and waited patiently, hoping she would share some of the details of what she’d found out regarding Red and his team.

Brendan “Red” O’Neill was a hero in many ways, including the fact that he’d sacrificed himself trying to free Americans who were being held captive by insurgents. He’d led their predecessor Red Starr team on a rescue mission that didn’t go quite as planned. In fact, it had turned out to be a complete Goat-Rope. He and his team were initially listed as MIA and presumed dead, but enough time had passed where Starr could have had him legally declared deceased. She refused to do that until Red’s body and those of her former team members were brought back to the States for their burial.

“The CIA liaison who was assigned to the team’s efforts back then left me a message while we were in Nigeria stating she had some additional information regarding the mission’s objectives we’d been tasked with back before we went feet dry.” Starr couldn’t have been inside her hotel room, because the sound of traffic suddenly came over the line. “I haven’t been able to get a hold of her since my arrival, but she’s currently out of contact from what my associates are saying. I’ll know more once I can speak with an old friend of mine who consults with the various agencies as a specialty contractor, much like ourselves.”

“You think this agent knows where the ambush site was?” Trigger asked, wondering why the liaison wouldn’t have revealed that information long ago. Starr had waited years for closure.

“I’m not quite sure why she reached out now after so much time has passed.” The backdrop suddenly became quiet again. “Tell me what’s going on there. I need to get some idea of how long you’re going to be out of pocket.”

“Someone called Detective Chaisson professing to be me,” Trigger admitted, not pleased at all with that bit of knowledge. “They had the security code for the garage, which they would have had to obtain from Joey.”

“You think someone close to Joey is responsible?” Starr asked over a chiming sound. Trigger recognized the jingle as that of an elevator arriving at a floor. “A friend? Ex-girlfriend?”

“Chaisson said he’d rundown the call and try to see where it originated from.” Trigger couldn’t sit still anymore, so he stood and walked around the desk. He might as well do an inside perimeter check. “I’ll touch base with him tomorrow and then I’ll contact Gunny with the phone number they trapped. He’ll have some of our operations people trace it if I feel Chaisson isn’t being candid with me or is trying to conceal something while they investigate.”

“Any other leads?”

“There are a couple of names I’m going to give Gunny to run some background checks on.” Trigger took his time reaching the front entrance, ensuring all the locks were engaged on each of the front windows. He then started to make his way toward the back. “The majority are local people I don’t think are involved, but there is one outsider who showed up at the garage for an oil change asking questions about the residents of Amberton.”

“Gunny and Doc are at headquarters right now, if you want to make the best use of your time,” Starr responded, another ding resonating and indicating she’d reached her floor. “I’m having them sort through some available State Department contracts to determine which assignment we should take next, so I imagine they’ll be there late as they narrow down some choices. Right now, the Promised Land’s crew are conducting additional trials after software upgrades to the ship’s weapon system integration suite. More grey boxes with no more room to tuck them in. We are trying to squeeze every ounce of utility out of the space available.”

“You and I both know they aren’t going to choose another mission until we get word from your CIA liaison regarding Red and his team.” Trigger didn’t tell Starr anything she didn’t already know, but he felt the urge to reiterate the team’s stance on this. “The original members of Red Starr deserve to be brought home…and they will be even if we need to drink all the blood those insurgent bastards have left to bleed.”

“I appreciate that, Trigger.” Another pause filled the line and Trigger had just about reached the back door when Starr surprised him with her question. “How’s Diesel doing?”

Trigger smiled and didn’t reply right away, hardly ever having the upper hand when it came to Starr and Diesel. He took his time and confirmed the back door of The Laughing Griffin was secure before heading back to Devyn’s office. He now wished he’d brought Diesel down here with him.

Starr had bucked at the idea of Trigger bringing along Diesel to be part of the team when she first approached him that day in the garage. Hell, they’d even made a bet—one Starr thought was all but guaranteed to go in her favor. His challenge to get Diesel military trained in two months had gone smoothly considering he’d already had police K-9 training. Starr had believed she’d get the entire team to paint their headquarters in San Diego when Trigger showed up without Diesel by his side, but damned if the German Shepherd hadn’t taken to military working dog training and was now an essential member of the Red Starr team. Starr did her best to keep Diesel at arm’s length, not wanting to show any sign of weakness, but the intelligent canine had been working hard to get into her good graces. Her question of his wellbeing only solidified Trigger’s belief that Diesel had Starr wrapped around his large paw.

“Diesel is good, although he misses those treats you give him on the rare occasion I’m not watching.”

“I give him nothing other than orders, just like the rest of the team,” Starr countered with a tone that indicated she was done with this conversation. She’d already revealed her hand and Trigger couldn’t be happier. “Call Gunny and give him those names. Keep me updated. Starr out.”

Trigger wasn’t so sure he should do that considering Starr had her plate full in D.C., but he would if she were just hanging around in her hotel room waiting for the liaison to make contact. Sometimes their job was tedious in nature and anything from the outside was a good distraction.

“Same goes for you,” Trigger informed Starr as she disconnected their call. He dialed Red Starr headquarters in San Diego next. It was relatively early there and he didn’t feel so guilty calling this late. Besides, he figured they’d be combing through any future assignments at their leisure, considering the time constraints weren’t that demanding. The majority of the team didn’t do time off very well. “Let me guess. You guys have Jade and Charlotte there and are letting them go through the simulation trainer.”

“What can I say?” Gunny replied with no defense against Trigger’s claim whatsoever. “They have fun and we feel better knowing they’re well equipped to handle themselves in a reaction drill. What have you got for us? We’re bored to tears and are thinking of spending a couple of days on the beach, which is going to be pure torture. I can’t stand just lying around here when there’s shit to be done.”

“Got a pen and paper in front of you?”

“Wait one second. Good to go,” Gunny said before a slight echo reverberated through the receiver. “You’re on speaker.”