Hostile Desires (20 page)

T
he sun was setting
over the Pacific as the music for the first dance started. Elle sipped her champagne as she watched the bride and groom walk out onto the dance floor to take their first dance as a married couple. It had been a beautiful ceremony, including having both Emma’s brother Sean and Randy walk her down the aisle, both men visibly moved by their part in the ceremony. The garden setting, the smell of the salt air and plumeria, and the soft breeze had made it that much more magical.

Emma glowed with happiness, and Elle could not blame her. Del was practically strutting. As Del took his bride into his arms, Elle’s heart sighed.

“They make such a sweet couple,” Cat said, stepping up next to her.

Elle glanced at her. “They do, as do you and Drew.”

Cat said nothing, but kept watching the first dance of the newly wedded couple. Elle didn’t miss the way the younger woman’s mouth curved. Oh, this could be trouble. Granted, she had ignored her own policy about getting involved with someone at work, but this was Drew. He was a good man, one who deserved the best.

“Just be careful, Cat.”

Cat tore her gaze away from the activity on the dance floor. She studied Elle with a narrowed gaze. “What do you mean by that?”

She counted Cat as a good friend, but she loved Drew like a little brother. “He adores you. You’re a decent person, just remember that when you are dealing with him.”

She sighed. “I thought I would never think of him that way. I knew he had a crush on me, but I thought he was in the
friend
category. He’s geeky, and has this romance streak in him that just makes me want to gag at times.”

“I’m sensing a
but
here.”

Cat sipped her champagne. “He kissed me.”

Elle smiled. “Is that a fact?”

“I thought, no big deal. I’ve been kissed before. Not that I kiss every man I meet, but it’s not like I haven’t had more than a few dates. So, I was prepared to let him kiss me. You know, get it over with. He leaned in and I figured it would be simple.”

“It wasn’t?”

Cat shook her head. “No. Lord, he made my knees weak.”

Elle laughed, not in humor, but for the joy of it. “Drew has a habit of surprising people.”

Before Cat could say anything else, the music changed and people started moving toward the dance floor, and Drew was approaching.

“Care to dance?” he asked Cat.

“Sure, slick,” Cat said, her voice as steady as usual. Elle didn’t miss the way her hand shook when Cat placed it on Drew’s arm. Knowing Drew, he had noticed it also.

She watched as Drew expertly drew Cat out onto the dance floor and started to dance. God, they were sweet too. She felt tears burn the backs of her eyes. She was getting sentimental. She wasn’t a woman who cried when she saw card commercials, but these were people she cared about. She just wanted everyone to be happy forever.

Okay, that was a little too much. Maybe she should lay off the champagne.

A few seconds went by before a rather large hand slipped around her waist.

“That’s an interesting development,” Graeme said, his breath warm against her ear. She shivered.

“Yes. Seems Cat got more than she bargained for.”

“Hmm,” he said, as he nibbled on her ear. “I know the feeling.”

She chuckled. “What have you been up to?”

“I was talking to Adam.”

She glanced at him over her shoulder. “Working at a wedding?”

“First, it’s not mine. Second, he just got a call from an uncle. Now that we have a name, he has his uncle checking to see how might have been using Chester Fung as a CI back then.”

“Ah. Anything?”

He shook his head. “Still waiting. How do you feel about a dance?”

Giddy happiness filled her. It was silly, really, but she felt like a teenager at a dance.

“I think I would like that,” she said.

He took her almost empty glass from her hand, set it on a passing waiter’s tray. He brought her hand to his mouth, kissed her knuckles, then drew her out to the floor. She smiled, pushing all her worries aside, and decided to enjoy it. She was under the stars in Hawaii, dancing with a sexy Highlander wearing a kilt.

G
raeme watched
Elle dance with Drew. It was a swing number, and she was laughing. He couldn’t really hear her over the music and the people, but just watching her made him happy. A laughing Elle made everything in the world seem complete.

“So, I understand there’s a room you’re sharing,” Del said, as he stopped beside Graeme.

He nodded, but didn’t take his gaze from Elle dancing.

“Earth to Graeme.”

He blinked and looked at Del. “What?”

Del chuckled. “Nothing. Was just trying to make small talk.”

“Where’s Emma?”

“She’s out on the dance floor,” Del said, waving his hand toward the area. And sure enough, Emma was dancing with Sean.

“Oh, I didn’t see her.”

“I hate to do this at my own wedding, but I was just talking to Carino. He told me on one of the warrants for his arrest, Fung was at Iris Katsu’s house less than five months before Sam’s birth.”

“Damn. So, we have the connection. If we could find the gun, or figure out how Sam got the gun, it would make it so much easier.”

“Yeah, but then, this case has been stupid FUBAR since the beginning.”

The music started to die down, but Emma started off running in the opposite direction.

“I think that was a little much for her stomach. Duty calls.”

Then Del cut across the dance floor, nodding as he passed his new brother-in-law. But Graeme’s attention was brought back to Elle and Drew. He was walking her back to Graeme.

“Have you seen Cat?” Drew asked.

“Over at the TFH table.”

Drew smiled. “Thanks for the dance, Doc.”

Then he sauntered over to the table the team had procured as their own, but Graeme paid him no attention.

“They had their cake and all that nonsense.”

“I’m sure Emma appreciates that you called it nonsense. And I will point out that you had two pieces of cake.”

“Can we go now?” he asked. He wanted to be alone with her.

She smiled. “They are going to throw the bouquet.”

“Do you want to be here for that?”

“Not especially,” she said.

“Good.”

He grabbed her hand, then started off to the lift.

“Wait. I need my purse.”

After backtracking to the table, she grabbed her purse. He saw the look in Adam’s eyes, and knew he was going to give Graeme crap. He tugged at Elle before Adam could ask her to dance. He ignored everyone as he made his way out of the garden setting and into the hotel. The elevator doors opened, and they had to wait for an older couple to step off. Once they were gone, he stepped into the lift, then tugged her inside.

Graeme pulled her into his arms and kissed her. She laughed against his mouth and he pulled back.

“I kiss the woman I love and she laughs.”

“We need to hit the button or we won’t move.”

She leaned back and hit their floor number, and he tried to kiss her again.

“Behave, Graeme. I don’t want to be caught snogging.”

He frowned, but did as she asked. Within minutes, he was opening the door and urging her inside their room. He backed her against the door, then cupped her face and kissed her. Slanting his mouth over hers, he stole inside, enjoying the taste of champagne as it danced over her tongue to his.

He pulled back and realized he had been a little more aggressive than he had been before with her.

“Sorry, love. I’ve been wanting a taste of you for hours now.”

She smiled. “No worries, Graeme,” she said, sliding her hand to the back of his neck. She urged him closer. “I had the same feelings about you.”

She took control of the kiss now, slipping her tongue into his mouth. Heat that had been at a low boil all day, roared to life in his blood.

Graeme tore his mouth away from hers and knelt down in front of her. Taking a fist full of her dress into his hand, he hiked it up to her waist. Oh, fuck, she was wearing lace panties. Not just panties with a little lace on them. These seemed to be made of lace and bows, leaving little to his imagination—and Graeme had a very good imagination.

Without removing them, he slipped his finger beneath the leg band. She was already wet, dripping with arousal. He eased the delicate fabric aside and leaned closer. The scent of her desire washed over him, and he had to have a taste. He licked her slit then, just a simple lick, and she moaned. Bloody hell, that sound would forever be imprinted on his soul.

He slipped a finger inside of her, along with his tongue. She shivered against him and speared her fingers in his hair. Over and over, he moved within her, enjoying the way her moans grew louder with every second that ticked by.

As he felt her approaching an orgasm, he pulled back. He was a greedy bastard, and he wanted to be inside of her when she came. She growled, and he smiled as he eased her panties down her legs. He tossed them behind him, not caring where they landed.

Then, he peeled her out of that stunning dress, making sure he didn’t rip it. He wanted to see her in it again. Her gaze traveled down his body. His cock was hard, easy to see beneath his kilt, since he had gone commando, as he always did with his kilt. He undressed in a matter of seconds, then grabbed a condom from his wallet and slipped it on.

He took one step towards her and lifted her into his arms. Elle wrapped her legs around his waist, pressing her wet sex against his shaft.

“Bloody hell,” he said, almost stumbling. His brain was blank of everything but that sensation.

“What was that?” she asked too sweetly.

He growled and she laughed.

He walked them into the bedroom, but instead of going to the bed, he turned to the wall, steadied Elle against it, then entered her in one hard thrust.

“Oh, damn,” she said.

He immediately felt guilty. “I’m sorry, love.”

“I hope not. It felt good,” she said with a laugh. Then she cupped his face and kissed him.

That was enough to spur him on. Over and over he thrust into her, her moans growing louder each time he drove into her. Before he was ready, he felt his orgasm simmering, but he wanted to wait. He wanted Elle with him.

“Oh, yes, Graeme,” she moaned, just as she bowed off the wall. Her orgasm caused her inner muscles to tighten against his cock, pulling him deeper into her hot, wet core. He could hold back no longer. Shouting her name, Graeme gave himself over to pleasure. As he felt himself fall, she cupped his face and kissed him. That one act connected them on a level that he had not known existed, had never experienced before.

Several moments later, he stumbled to the bed, and they fell on top of it together. She sighed, the sound filled with contentment.

“Mo chridhe,”
he said, kissing her temple. “I love you, Elle.”

She didn’t stiffen this time. Instead, she wrapped her arms around him and held on tighter. It wasn’t the end goal, but it was definitely a step in the right direction.

Pleased, he let her snuggle closer as they both drifted off to sleep.

“
W
hat are you doing today
?” Graeme asked her, as he held a strawberry up for her to eat.

She leaned forward and licked the tip of it.

“Bleeding hell, woman,” he said.

She smiled, keeping her gaze locked with his, as she took the entire strawberry into her mouth. There was something so wonderfully decadent about being fed strawberries and cream by Graeme. It helped that they were both still naked.

She chewed it and swallowed, then grabbed the champagne. “What did you ask me?”

“I asked what you were doing today.”

“I’m not sure,” she said, but before she could continue, her mobile went off.

Graeme frowned, but she just shook her head. They both understood the job and what it took from them. She wasn’t supposed to be working today, but she knew Graeme understood.

“Dr. Middleton.”

“Elle, it’s Will.”

She smiled. “Oh, good morning, Will. Did you need something?”

“Yes, I need to have my blood sugar checked again. I hate to bother you, but I thought maybe I could stop by tomorrow.”

“What does he want?” Graeme whispered.

She covered the mouthpiece. “Will has to have his blood sugar checked. He has a thing about needles, so I do it for him every six months.”

“Elle?” Will said over the phone.

“Sorry. Tomorrow won’t work because I have court.”

“Damn.” He paused, and she knew he was working it through in his head. “I might have to go to a regular doctor.”

She heard the worry in his voice, and it registered, but just barely. She knew Will didn’t want to go to the doctor because last time he passed out. With her, he seemed not to have that issue. But she was having a very hard time concentrating. Graeme had lifted the sheet and was now pulling her legs apart.

“Um, why the rush?” she asked, and almost moaned when she felt Graeme’s tongue tease her slit. Bloody hell.

“I want to be sure before I go in for the insurance exam. If it is high, then I need to really watch it. I have about a week.”

“Uh, a week isn’t going to fix everything.”

“I know that. I just want to be prepared before I go.”

Graeme pressed her thighs further apart, then slipped his tongue inside of her. She barely kept in the next moan that vibrated in her throat.

“Uh, how about this morning?”

He paused. “Yeah, I can come by, but I don’t want to make you come all the way back to Honolulu.”

“No worries. Del and Emma had their wedding last night, and I stayed overnight.”

“That would be brilliant if you could do that.”

“About an hour?” Graeme added a finger and started to tease her clitoris. “Um, make that two.”

“Good. I’ll meet you at the lab like last time.”

“Okay.” She didn’t wait for a goodbye. She shut her phone off and let it fall to the floor.

Graeme moved up her body. “Now, what are you going to be doing for the next two hours?”

She smiled and slipped her hands up his arms to his shoulders. “You.”

He laughed and tumbled them over the bed.

G
raeme’s
mobile rang just as he took the ramp to H-1. He needed to hit the grocery store, and then pick up Dumfries. He had special plans with Elle tonight, and he wanted to make a nice dinner to soften her up.

“Hey, Adam, what’s up?” Graeme asked.

“Do you know where Elle is?”

“No. Is there a reason you need to talk to her?”

“No, but I thought both of you would like to hear the news. I found the cop who was using Chester as a CI. It took a little bit, but Captain Pham actually is the one who remembered.”

“Well, spit it out.” Graeme demanded.

The moment he heard the name, his blood ran cold.

“Where are you?” he asked.

Adam paused. “I’m on my way back to Honolulu on the H-3,” Adam responded.

“Bloody hell.” Graeme spat out.

“What the hell is the matter?”

“Elle is meeting with the man who is doing everything in his power to cover this up,” Graeme responded. “Get back to TFH headquarters as fast as you can.”

He clicked off his phone, then turned on his siren. Slamming on the gas, he sped around cars and took the exit to Valkenburgh Street so he could turn around. He just prayed he got there soon enough.

E
lle stepped
into the exam room and realized the lights had been left on. She frowned. She knew for a fact they had been turned off on Friday.

“Hello? Will?”

There was no answer, but she couldn’t shake the feeling of not being alone. She hadn’t had these kinds of feelings since her first year on the job. She had always wanted to be an ME, but the truth was, she had to get over the feeling of being watched by dead bodies.

She smiled as she grabbed up a needle to draw blood.

“What are you doing here?” Drew asked.

He startled her so badly, she almost dropped everything she had been gathering up.

“Andrew Franklin, you should know better.”

He smiled. “Sorry. I stopped by because Cat said she left a file she wanted to read over. Why do they always want the hard copies?”

Elle shrugged. “Depends on what I’m looking for, but I know a lot of the team is kind of old school. They say they can read it better on a piece of paper.”

“And what are you doing? I thought you and McGregor would be staying in today too.”

“That’s presuming a lot,” she said.

Drew winked. “Just know that you two left before the bouquet being thrown.”

She felt her face heat, but she just shook her head. “Graeme has a dog he had to leave with a neighbor, and Will called.”

“Oh, another blood sugar test?”

She nodded.

“He just needs to give up drinking.”

She set everything on the counter, making sure she had everything she needed. “Kind of hard when you own a bar.”

“True. Well, I’m going to grab that file up and then head out. We’re going to have dinner tonight,” he said smiling and wiggling his eyebrows.

Then he slipped out. She heard him jog up the stairs, and she couldn’t stop smiling. It wasn’t going to be easy, but Drew had amazing patience. The brick wall Cat had up would have to be demolished, and Drew would do that, piece by piece.

She had everything ready when she heard Will coming down the hall.

“Hey, Will, come on in. I have everything set up.”

Will stepped into the room, his face pale, his mouth a straight line.

“What’s wrong? Are you feeling okay?” she asked, concern filling her. There was a chance there was more wrong with him than just the high blood sugar.

It was then she saw the gun.

“What the bloody hell are you doing?” she asked.

“I need those files, Elle, and you’re going to give them to me. I need to destroy everything.”

Her blood went cold. “I-I left them at home.”

“Lies.”

Well, yes, partially. Will should know that all the paperwork had been filed. Sure, if there was no proof, it would be easy to get it thrown out of court, but not with an eyewitness. That meant he was planning on using that gun. “No. I was in town for the wedding. It was last night. I left everything at my house.”

He studied her for a second. She kept her chin raised and her gaze steady.

“Fuck. Okay, let’s go. If you try anything, I’ll shoot you.”

She didn’t even point out that if he shot her, he would never get those reports he thought she had. When he motioned with his gun, she did as he ordered.

“You’ll be seen on the CCTV.”

He snorted. “You don’t think I have someone who can help me with that, do you?”

Her heart sank. They went out the back way, and it was then she noticed Drew’s car. He was still there, but she didn’t want him getting involved. Hopefully, he would see them and call for backup.

“Seems your boyfriend isn’t around.”

“He’s meeting me here later.”

He dug the gun further into her ribs.

“Don’t lie. I’ve been tailing you. He’s on his way home, more than likely to check on that damned mutt.”

She glanced around the parking lot. This was the employee parking area, and only TFH really parked there. HPD folks parked in their own lot down the street.

“Why are you doing this?” she asked.

He snorted. “You know why.”

“So, your informant killed Jenny. You are an accessory after the fact, but the public will barely notice.”

It wasn’t true, but she was grasping for any kind of a lifeline. He laughed, but it wasn’t a pleasant sound. “You really aren’t that smart, are you, Dr. Elle?
I
killed Jenny.”

“What?” she asked, as she slowed her steps, hoping that either Drew might be getting help, or he was staying out of the way. He was the only other person in the building at the moment.

“I killed her. She saw us doing a buy. She knew my face.”

Cold seeped deeper into her soul, as she tried her best to come up with some kind of way to slow him down. If Drew was getting help, the more time she could give him, the better.

“So you killed her. Just like that?”

She couldn’t even keep the horror out of her voice. Killing an innocent for money was the lowest of the lowest.

“I needed the money.”

“Oh, so that makes everything okay then. I mean, what does one little girl mean in the world compared to your need for money?”

He pushed her against her car. She hit it hard, but did her best not to let him see that it hurt her.

“The high and mighty doctor passes judgment. Do you know what it’s like to have nothing? To come from nothing? Of course you don’t. You had everything handed to you. I was about to be forced out, with nothing. They were ready to clean house, and I was one of the ones who was going to be kicked to the curb. I had just enough years to force retirement, but it wouldn’t be enough to live on. I would have had to get a job as a fucking rent-a-cop. How the fuck do you think I opened the bar? Not on a bleeding cop salary, I can tell you that.”

The sound of a foot against gravel caught her attention. It had to be Drew. Fear sliced through her blood. Oh, damn, she hoped that he would have just called someone. Again, the same sound, and this time, Will heard it too. He turned in the direction of where it had come from, still holding onto her. He fired his gun, and she took the opportunity to push him away. She heard him shooting the gun again and again. Glass shattered, and Will screamed in frustration. She ran to the other side of her car, then kept running to take cover behind a bigger SUV that sat a few spaces from hers. Will kept shooting his gun and screaming. What the bloody hell was he doing? The shooting would bring attention to him. She covered her ears as she crouched down, hoping that Will would not come looking for her.

At that moment, tires squealed against the pavement as she watched Graeme come racing into the parking lot. He headed full barrel toward Will, who turned and started firing at the truck.

T
he bastard had lost
his damned mind, Graeme thought. He had bulletproof glass, but the wanker just kept shooting at his truck. He didn’t stop but he did slow down. Still, he ran right into Will, and watched as the gun fell from his hand. Will fell back onto the pavement. He parked the truck and jumped out, his handcuffs in his hand.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

He turned Will over on his stomach and cuffed his hands. He pulled him off the pavement and slammed him against his truck.

“Elle, are you okay?”

“Yes, I am,” she said, running toward him. The knot in his stomach loosened and the ice in his blood melted. The smile on her face was the most beautiful sight in the world.

“Why didn’t you just kill me?” Will asked.

“Because you need to be held accountable and face up to what you’ve done.”

“Where’s Drew?” he asked Elle when she reached him.

“He’s over near the building.” She looked at Will. “I hope it hurts.”

Graeme smiled as he watched her walk away. The woman definitely had a mean temper.

“Drew?” she called out.

He paid little attention as the ambulances, along with Adam, pulled into the parking lot. The noise almost deafened him, since both had their sirens going. The moment the sirens cut off, he heard Elle scream.

He shoved Will at Adam, then ran toward the sound of Elle’s scream. He found her by the door, pressing on Drew’s neck. Blood seeped between her fingers. Drew was gurgling as a thin line of blood dribbled out of his mouth.

“No. No. No.”

She kept repeating the word over and over.

“Elle?”

She didn’t look at him.

“Get an ambulance,” she yelled. The medics were already rushing toward her.

“I think the bastard hit an artery.”

The EMTs looked at one another.

She glared at them while she kept her hand on Drew’s chest. “I’m a doctor, you idiots.”

He knew she wasn’t thinking straight. Both of the EMTs knew her, had worked with her more than once.

“Dr. Middleton,” one of the EMT’s said. “Let us take care of him.”

She still refused to move, and he knew Drew needed to get to the hospital as fast as possible. He went to her. “Let them take care of him, love.”

She shook her head. “I know how to fix it.”

Anguish dripped from every word, and he knew she wasn’t thinking clearly. “They can get him the help he needs faster. Come here.”

She blinked, and he took her hand. He motioned with his head to the EMT. The man was smart enough to catch on. He pressed his gloved hand against Drew’s neck. Graeme pulled Elle to her feet.

“Pulse is thready,” the older EMT said. “Drew. Drew, can you hear me? We are going to get you to the hospital.”

They had him up and on the gurney in record time. They were running to the ambulance as Elle tried to pull away.

“No, you need to stay with me,” Graeme said. “Where are you headed?” he asked the EMT.

“We’re headed to Tripler. There was a pile up on the Pali, and they were sent to Queen’s.”

“Thanks.”

One EMT climbed into the back of the ambulance, while the other one slammed the doors and rushed to the driver’s side. The sirens blared once more as the ambulance sped off.