Head Start (Cedar Tree #7) (22 page)

K
endra

I hate being wrong.

The moment Neil tells me I’m determined to see him in a negative light, I know he’s right. Eating crow tastes like a freaking mouthful of ball sacks. But as soon he goes to sit at his computer, I know I’ll have to choke it down and own it.

So that’s what I do. I walk up and own it and surprisingly, he ends up being his usual comforting self again. Sitting in his lap, with his arms around me, I feel as safe as can be. His words are simple, but as always, they hit the mark. Right here and now I decide, perhaps not for the first time, but certainly the last, that I will stop finding ways to undermine what we have. Or could have.

“Now, lets get this shit aired out for once and for all. And I’m gonna break my promise to her to make sure there can never be any misunderstanding again.” I open my mouth to tell him it’s not necessary but he silences me with a quick, hard kiss. “Hush. Let me finish. Last week, Kara was going through some shit. She knew I was in the GFI offices late, so she waited and caught me coming out. I know she has no one else here who she can talk with about certain things, so I spent some time with her that night and the next, mainly to listen. You see, Kara is—“

Before he has a chance to betray his friendship, I grab the back of his head and slam my mouth against his, forcing my tongue between his lips. I can’t be responsible for ruining his friendship, because like he said, what goes for the goose should go for the gander and like it or not, his relationship with Kara is part of his life. To accept the man, you have to accept his friends. Like Pavlov’s dog, he responds immediately, his tongue tangling with mine while his hands knead my flesh. In seconds, I can feel his cock harden under my butt and an intriguing method of distraction comes to mind. I slide my hand between our bodies and start teasing his hard length through the rough denim of his jeans. Rubbing with the palm of my hand and slightly scraping with my nails over the distinguishable rims and ridges. When his deep moans tell me he’s forgotten what he was talking about, I slip down between his legs, losing his mouth in the process.

“Pup...”

The endearment sends a shiver down my spine, as I quickly take care of the buttons of his fly to release his swollen member in all its formidable glory. On my knees, with one hand fisting him at the base, I run my nose along his length, breathing him in. I never thought the scent of a man could turn me on, but Neil’s does. A mix of his shower gel with his own unique musk—a heady combination, and I don’t hesitate to open my mouth and let my open lips slide along the thick vein running along his cock.

“Baby, you’re hurt,” he tries, his voice hitching on the words as I run my tongue around the crown. I taste the tang of his arousal as the tip of my tongue probes the tiny slit, making him hiss between his teeth. His hand comes up to fist in my hair, holding it away from my face, and as I look up in his heavy-lidded gaze, I slowly but purposely slide my mouth over him.

“Ahhh,
Christ,
you’re killing me,” he groans, his hips flexing on the seat and his hand tightening in my hair. With every slide up his length, I press the mushroom against the roof of my mouth with my tongue, earning a deep guttural moan of satisfaction. Never considering myself particularly talented in the field of fellatio, his response to being inside my mouth does something to me. Gives me a sense of power and a feeling of immense gratification that I could have this impact on a man. Especially one like Neil. Bolstered with renewed confidence, I start working him in earnest, bobbing my head up and down him, while pumping my fist around his root. His hips lift inadvertently each time I suck him in until the tip of his cock hits the back of my throat and I instinctively swallow down.

“
Fuck me,”
he exclaims, trying to pull my head up. “I’m too close, I’m gonna let go in your mouth if you keep this up.”

“Let me,” I plead, looking at him and reveling at the dark blush high on his cheekbones. His lush lips are slightly open and I see in the rapid rise and fall of his chest that he’s struggling to control himself. Determined to make him lose it, and more turned on than I could’ve imagined, I shift my bottom so my heel is pressed against my pussy. As I suck him back inside, I swivel my hips and rock myself on its hard surface.

“That’s the sexiest goddamn thing I’ve ever seen,” he says, fucking my mouth.

Already soaked and primed, it doesn’t take me long to start humming my impending climax around his cock, which has Neil bucking twice before coming all over my tongue. I barely manage to swallow him down while chasing my own climax, when I’m suddenly up with my pants around my ankles. He bends me forward over the table, spreading my legs wide in the process. His hands slide down from my ass to the backs of my knees before trailing back up to the inside of my thighs. When I feel him spread me from behind, an involuntary groan escapes.

“Neil... Please, hon— Ahhh...”

The moment his mouth closes greedily over my wet core, all ability to consciously communicate ceases. The contrast of his tongue teasing along my folds before his lips suck lightly at my clit is enough to have me frantically grab on to the opposite edge of the table. Both his hands are molding the cheeks of my ass, before his fingers start playing along my crease. Spreading me wide, he slips digits from each hand alternately in my wet channel, creating an entire new set of sensations. With his mouth working my clit and fingers pumping in my pussy, he slides the finger of his other hand up and around my thus far closed-to-business back door.  Alive with sensation, coherent thought isn’t possible. So when his digit, slick with my own juices, is pushed through the tight ring of muscle, the trifecta of pleasure pushes me over the edge, tearing a raw scream from my throat.

“Christ, you’re magnificent,” Neil mumbles, kissing his way up my spine until he’s draped over my back on the table his face burrowing in my neck. “Are you okay, Pup?”

“Mmmmm,” I hum, sated, and immediately follow up with a little whimper when I feel the heat of Neil’s body disappear.

“Just going to clean up,” he says, first stopping to pull up my underwear and yoga pants. Seconds later, I hear the water run in the kitchen.

With my faculties slowly returning, I crack open my eyes and freeze instantly when I notice the front window. Luckily, with the porch wrapping around the house, it’s impossible to look in. Unless of course it’s dark outside and all the lights are on in here. Movement catches my eye and I suck in a sharp breath as I straighten up. Through the window, I spot the edge of the swing moving in and out of my line of vision.

“What is it?” Neil asks, walking up behind me and giving me one last kiss on my shoulder.

“Someone’s outside,” I whisper, unable to take my eyes off the swing. Immediately, Neil shoves me behind him. He stills when he sees the same thing I did.

“Stay put. Do not move a muscle,” he says as he pushes me back into the kitchen. I watch him pull a gun from his ankle-holster and make his way out the other door into the hallway.

“Neil!” I whisper-shout, scared out of my gourd.

“It’s okay, just stay right where you are,” he throws me a tight smile over his shoulder and then he’s gone from sight. I don’t hear the front door open, but I can feel the cool morning air streaming into the house. With my hands pressed against my mouth to keep from making a sound, I slowly sink down, my back against the wall.

“Son of a bitch!” I hear Neil yell and then nothing.

Crazy thoughts whirl through my mind but I can’t bring myself to move. And I’m still not moving when I hear heavy footsteps walking into my house.

N
eil

My gun in hand, I manage to open the door without making a sound.

The thought that someone was out on that porch, watching me with Kendra, is enough to make rage boil in my veins. But years of training kick in as I manage to narrow my focus. Keeping my steps rolling from toe to heel, and as close to the wall as possible, I’m able to move silently, despite the aging wood of the porch beneath my feet. A quick glance around the corner and I can see the silently swaying porch swing. Empty. Immediately my eyes snap up, taking in the surroundings. There is nothing—no sound of a car taking off, no movement anywhere. Except... Looking across the road, I see the white-haired, old lady peek out from behind the curtains in her front window.

My eyes drift back to the swing and now I see what I missed earlier. A newspaper? I step around the corner to take a better look. A map.

“Son of a bitch!” I yell, when I spot the corner missing. I carefully pick up the map by a corner and with one last look, I turn to walk back into the house. To the terrified woman inside.

I find her in the kitchen on the floor. Her knees pulled up to her chest, her head buried in her arms and her back pressed into the corner. “Babe...”

Her head whips up and immediately tears pool in her eyes. “Oh my God—Neil. I thought...” Her voice trails off when she sees what I have in my hand. “What is that? Is that...?” Her eyes are big and fixed on the map I have to take care of without destroying any possible evidence.

“Nothing I want more than to put my arms around you now, babe, but I have to make sure I don’t mess any possible prints on this thing. Do you have any wax or parchment paper?” She nods, looking a touch confused, as she scrambles to her feet and roots through one of the drawers, coming up with a roll of wax paper. “Good. Now if you could cut off a good length and lay it on the counter?” Her hands still shaking, she does exactly as I ask. Carefully, I place the map in the center of the paper and fold the end over, before turning and pulling Kendra against me. Her arms immediately close around my waist, fisting in the back of my shirt. Her body trembles in my arms and I mumble some nonsense in her hair. “It’s okay, Pup. There’s no one outside. Whoever was there is gone,” I tell her, knowing full well that whoever is out there somehow has found out where she lives. And that is not fucking good.

“How did he find me?” Her voice is soft but not weak. I can hear fear but also anger simmering under the surface. Good, it will make what I have to say next go down a bit easier, I hope.

“Not sure, but we’ll find out. You can’t stay here, Kendra.” Her head tilts back the moment the words leave my mouth, anger in her eyes.

“Like hell! I’m staying here. Where am I supposed to go? Not letting this creepy chucklefuck scare me out of my house. It’s my house!” Her hands that were clutching me seconds ago are now shoving at my chest angrily. Probably because I couldn’t hold back the snicker at her colorful verbiage. Her choice of swearwords is different, to say the least, but different is damn cute on her. “Don’t laugh at me,” she admonishes. “This isn’t funny.” And just like that, cold reality settles back in. No, it’s not funny at all.

Leaning down, I first kiss her tightly pursed mouth before taking her angry face in my hands. “You’re absolutely right, which is why you’re coming with me.”

“Coming where?”

“My apartment. It only has one entrance and is as secure as this place is, if not more so. Start packing whatever you think you’ll need.” I already start turning away to grab my phone when a tug on my arm turns me back around.

“I can’t. I have to be at the clinic this afternoon. I have patients.”

Is she for real? “Kendra, you’re not going to work,” I tell her, holding up my hand right away when I see her gearing up for battle. “All you would do is draw whoever this is out there to Joe and Naomi’s place. You might even be putting your patients at risk. Do you want that?” I’m not playing fair, but I’ll do whatever it takes to make her understand how dangerous this situation is.

“No,” she says sharply in a deceptively soft voice, and I feel a pang of guilt. “I don’t want that.” With a hefty shove, she manages to slip from my arms and takes off upstairs. She’s pissed. I can work with that.

Ten minutes later, I have given both Gus and Damian a call. On Gus’s suggestion, we’re going to stop at the GFI offices first, where Damian is going to meet us to pick up the map. It’ll give Kendra a chance to let off some steam with Emma.

-

I
’d forgotten about Kara.

The moment I walk in with my arm around Kendra’s angry shoulders, I feel her stiffen even more when Kara’s bright smile greets us from the kitchen. “Hey guys! I’m just pulling some fresh lemon scones from the oven. Want some?”

The warm, slightly sweet citrus tang in the air makes my mouth water, but Gus is standing behind her in the hallway, tipping his head toward the office behind him. Guess no scones for me. “Not for me, duty calls.” I indicate Gus, who’s already walking down the hall. “I leave you in good hands,” I tell Kendra, earning a ball-shriveling look in return. Ouch. I open my mouth to try and dislodge my foot, but Kara beats me to it.

“Awesome,” she directs at Kendra. “I’ll finally have a chance to chat with you.” Kendra’s smile is as fake as a two-dollar bill and suddenly I’m not so sure this is a good idea.

“Where’s Emma?” I ask Kara, hoping she’s around to help.

“She’s out dropping off pies at the diner and picking up a few groceries. Only reason I have a chance at the oven.” She smiles with the tiny lift of one eyebrow. Kara noticed my girl’s reluctance. She would, she’s sharp as a tack and reading folks is part of her job as a social worker. Which is probably why she steps up, throws an arm around Kendra’s shoulders and marches her into the kitchen, chattering away. The last thing I see before walking down the hall is the slightly panicked look Kendra throws over her shoulder. I cross my fingers Kara can put her at ease, but I have to admit, I’m pretty fucking pleased at Kendra’s response. She wouldn’t react that way if she didn’t care about me.

So when I walk into the boardroom with the evidence in a Ziploc bag, I have a big-ass smile on my face.

-

H
alf an hour later, I’m not smiling anymore. The FBI was able to get a credit card, name and address for that postal box they linked to Maryn in Cortez. That lunatic  has been right in our backyard the entire time. Not only that, a new missing persons case has just been filed in Cortez. Damian hands out a file. Franka Mellis, a home-care nurse and single mother of two, did not come home last night. Her twelve-year-old daughter contacted the Cortez PD first thing this morning. The children’s father was contacted in Norfolk where he is stationed and is apparently on a flight to Durango. The last person to have seen her is an elderly man with early onset Alzheimer’s. Apparently, during the first five minutes of the interview with him, he was clear as a bell, yet in the next moment, he didn’t even remember where he was. From what they could deduce, Ms. Mellis received an urgent text about her daughter, which is why she had to leave before her replacement came in ten minutes later. The daughter claims she never sent a text.