Jae's Assignment (20 page)

Glancing at the door connecting to Jae’s room, Trevor frowned and wondered why Jae hadn’t just tapped on that door instead of coming down the hall in her nightclothes barefoot. Instantly, he knew. She’d walked the hallway for the same reason he did earlier…because she must have felt the same sexual magnetism that he did and the connecting door served not so much as a barrier, but rather a reminder of the ramifications of crossing it.

* * * * *

Jae was back in her room, in bed and staring at the ceiling again.

Suddenly she remembered the globe she’d found in his desk drawer with the birthday greeting tucked inside the box and as her earlier parting words reverberated in her head, she now knew the gift had been for his deceased brother. She remembered the blue and white sailboat inside and once again felt the enormity of the pain and isolation he must have suffered.

She was also trying to push away the longing of how much she wanted Trevor. She was a strong woman and had convinced herself that she wouldn’t allow her confusion to cloud her judgment. Doing a bit of soul searching, she’d come to terms just how baffled she was by her reaction to him. She was certainly attracted to him. She saw Trevor as intelligent, confident, and definitely sexy, yet she also admired him and understood the sacrifices he had made to protect his family.

Jae also guessed that Trevor was aware of the underlying sexuality that flared between them whenever they were together. Sure, she fought it but had Darius’s commanding voice not crashed over her like a bullhorn, she was fairly certain she would have let Trevor get to second base. Hell, third, if he’d had on a pair of those boxer briefs that she found incredibly sexy on a man.

When she heard a tap on her door, she got out of bed. Glancing through the peephole she squinted.

On the other side of the door Trevor was holding a sheet of paper under his chin. He then stood back when she opened the door and turned the sheet of paper around for her to read it.

Jae’s mouth dropped open as she read what he had written.

Hi, my name is…whatever. I think you’re really nice looking and I’d like to get to know you better.

As if a match had been struck, an instant spark flared in Jae’s chest and traveled through her. Suddenly, Jae found herself leaping into Trevor’s arms.

Trevor threw the sheet of hotel paper up into the air, and crossed the threshold as his lips descended on hers in a soul-searing kiss. After several seconds of exploring the velvety warmth of her mouth, he set her down. She protested softly as he reluctantly eased out of her arms. “I’ll be right back,” he whispered against her lips.

Jae watched him go back out into the hall and scoop up the sheet of paper. Her heart was thundering with excitement when he came back inside and closed the door behind him.

At her questioning frown, Trevor leaned forward, lowered his husky voice, and asked, “Jae, have you ever just gone with your gut on something that felt so incredibly right…something you were very sure about?” When she smiled and bobbed her head, Trevor flashed a brilliant smile and said, “In that case, I’m keeping this because one day I’ll need proof to show our children that I had a fantastic pick-up line.” He placed the paper on the smaller desk before picking her up in his arms again.

Kissing him with total abandonment, Jae wound her legs around Trevor’s waist at his silent command of grabbing her thigh and hitching her up higher. Only then did his words echo in her head, forcing her to break off the kiss. “Wh-what did you say?” she croaked over the huskiness of her voice and staring into his beautiful blue eyes. The same eyes that always seemed to study her were now full of mutual attraction, seduction, and longing.

“Joking,” he said with a hint of laughter, walking toward the bed. Reclaiming her lips he eased her back on the bed. His mouth covered hers with a hungry passion and then slowly the kiss became gentle and tender. Trevor showered her mouth with kisses that mounted her passion into a burning desire. When she tightened her bare thighs around his waist, he reached down to caress them. His touch felt so good, she wanted more, arching her back toward him.

Jae slid her hands down his body and massaged the length of his back then lower. She explored his back, buttocks, and thighs.

Dragging her lips from his, Jae kissed Trevor’s chin. His kisses and his touch were a combination of sweet, gentle, fiery, and sexy and all had a drugging effect on her.

“Trevor, how will you know if your pick-up line worked?” Jae managed to ask as his hands went under her nightshirt and caressed her breasts.

“I’ll know if we have a breakfast date,” he said, his lips touching the base of her throat before kissing a path down to her breasts.

“But I don’t date White men, remember?” Jae gasped when the heat of his mouth connected with her breast and sent a series of hot currents racing through her.

Trevor paused to whisper hotly in her ear. “I remember and I don’t care.”

Jae could only ponder on what he’d said for a brief moment because all thoughts flew from her head when he started to kiss every inch of her body. She relinquished herself over to that which had been brewing for quite a while, since she’d spotted him in that jazz lounge. The air became tangible and her heart took on a beat she didn’t recognize. It was an adrenaline rush, unlike anything she’d ever experienced.

When Trevor lifted her nightshirt off, she shivered at his tender touches. He didn’t immediately grab and squeeze her breasts as she’d initially thought he would. He was taking his time and that was just fine with her though it didn’t stop the uncontrollable quivering of her stomach that was almost painful to control, and when his mouth followed the movements of his hands, her breath halted and she reached for him. He was solid and fit, but she already knew that. Yet touching him intimately put a different spin on how she viewed his body. Everything was different now and the thought of having sex with him only enhanced his appeal. It was a big turn-on. He was a turn-on and she bit her lip to stifle a cry of pure delight.

Trevor’s eyes were on her, his appraisal slow and seductive. He leaned forward and brushed his lips against her breast, one then the other. When she moaned softly, his tongue explored and teased them as his hand massaged their fullness.

Jae couldn’t take it any longer. Her body was on fire as she squirmed beneath him. With a quickness she only used when turning a suspect around to slap on a pair of metal handcuffs, Jae reached down and yanked on the hem of his T-shirt. Ignoring his murmuring as he caressed her right breast, she pulled the shirt over his head. He returned to what he’d been doing, pushing her through a floodtide of ecstasy.

His hands moved up her thighs and came down, sliding her panties down her legs. All of her senses were heightened and in sync with his. She was in tune with him…just him. Her skin tingled and throbbed from his touch and once again she found herself chanting his name and clutching at his shoulders until he came up to cover his body with hers.

She couldn’t imagine what he must have been thinking, but she didn’t want to rush him, either. She was struggling to hold on. So when she eased her arms around his shoulders and held him tightly in a tender hug, she felt something she hadn’t felt in a very long time. It stilled her and shook her to the core. She felt safe and cared for, if only for the moment. She felt like a desirable, beautiful woman who was wanted and nothing anyone could say would change that. With him she felt free.

Trevor eased off the bed to remove his jeans. But for some unknown reason it became a difficult task for his awkward, clumsy hands.

Jae smiled, watching him struggle with his belt buckle.

Coming up onto her knees, she moved to the edge of the bed and brushed his hands aside. Meeting his heavy-lidded eyes, she unbuckled the belt and eased his jeans down his muscular thighs. Letting her eyes trail down his body and the boxer briefs she loved so much. He was absolutely gorgeous. Trevor pulled a condom from the pocket of his jeans lying on the floor.

“Did you run to the corner store to get this?” she asked, amused.

“No, but it’s practical to be prepared for all situations,” he said, kissing her.

With all traces of laughter gone, Jae pulled him back down on the bed, straddled him, then kissed him hungrily and passionately. Easing up just enough to cover himself, he continued the kiss her, eager to feel him deep inside of her.

She embraced him tightly, caressing him and seeking his warmth and his strength. He must have heard her thoughts and felt the straining of her body because he suddenly lifted her from the bed and held her in a tight embrace as he guided her down onto him. She welcomed him with a shudder and the excitement of her fantasies of him had finally become real. It wasn’t a dream as they moved in perfect unison. His mouth sought hers hungrily as her passion mounted and mingled with his. It was flesh against flesh, mind-numbing sensation followed by another, and another. The friction of skin against skin sent ripples of pleasure coursing through her.

It was a thrill to watch his facial expressions and to feel the hardness of his body hit pleasure points she didn’t even know she had. With his large hands guiding her and moving her, Jae felt weightless. She didn’t think he had a clue as to how her world was spinning and spiraling. She didn’t think he could see the lights behind her eyes or know tears were collecting in a puddle and waiting to rush to the surface. She wanted him to see the pleasure he was giving her and she wanted him to feel it. When she cried out and tightened her thighs around his waist, he flipped her over and got as deep as her body could take him.

Jae never imagined anything could feel quite like this.

Chapter Sixteen

Randy stood in an empty parking lot.

He knew he was taking a huge chance meeting Otis there, but he couldn’t risk being seen going to the Pentford Institute during the day when the facility gates were guarded and monitored so closely. The last thing he wanted was for his identity to be recorded.

The Pentford Institute was where Randy and Otis housed and experimented on their test subjects, including Grainger. It was under the pretext of patients whom Otis was treating for behavioral issues. It was also the perfect cover to test out the mind-altering formula that he and Otis were desperate to perfect and sell to the highest bidder.

But tonight had been the only opportunity for them to move Grainger off the premises without rousing suspicion.

Since Randy was always one to avail himself of an opportunity, he was more than happy to inform Darius Hall and the rest of the team that Deputy Roberts was sending them to Baltimore to investigate a counterfeit money laundering ring.
Great
, he thought.
They will be out of my way, so I can deal with this dead weight.

Chuckling because his plan was almost complete, Randy straightened when he spotted Otis’s vehicle slowly approaching the empty lot. As planned, he flicked a small flashlight three times. It was the same signal he’d used when he went to the back gate of the Pentford Institute. When the car came to a stop, Randy leaned over as Otis rolled down the passenger side window. “How’d it go, Otis?”

Otis shook his head. “No obstacles.”

Randy checked his watch then glared sharply at the doctor. “Well, you could have fooled me. It’s almost nine o’clock. I expected you an hour ago when the gate is manually operated.”

“It wasn’t a problem, Randy. The guard was on dinner break when I left and the back gate was busy with the supply shipments coming in this evening.”

“What about him?” Randy asked, inclining his head to an unconscious Grainger in the backseat.

“No problem there, either. Grainger’s mind is pretty much an empty shell at this point. It’s a shame that he’s no longer any use to us,” Otis said with a negative shake of his head.

“Did you administer a higher dose of the formula today to keep him sedated?” Randy’s eyes slid to Grainger’s drooped head lying against the back headrest. He faced the opposite window, but Randy could see his mouth hanging open. “He looks like shit,” he said, disgustedly.

“I gave him 100 cc’s. He’ll be this way until sometime tomorrow evening or longer. Did you hear from our investors?”

“Yes, we have three more days,” Randy murmured, absently taking a long detached look at the figure in the back of the car. “Then I’ll deliver them the good doctor.” Randy clapped his gloved hands.

“But the formula…it isn’t ready, Randy. Let’s pull the final test subjects we currently have. They look very promising. I’ll monitor their blood levels more closely and administer additional tests to determine their readiness. Let’s err on the side of caution in the event you can’t find Dr. Grant. He has been in hiding for five years—long enough to develop skills that have kept him well hidden. He won’t just come strolling back, you know.”

“Oh, yes he will, because in three days, I’ll have what I’m fairly certain he’ll be willing to risk everything to protect.” Randy presented Otis with a smug smile. “Special Agent Jae Randall,” he said.

“Oh, so things have progressed as you expected, I take it?”

“I’m sure they have. I mean, come on, Otis, you’re a doctor. You put two horny souls together and nature usually takes over with a bang,” Randy said, snickering.

“Were you able to pinpoint Special Agent Randall’s location?” Otis asked.

“Not on her but I got one on him. He went home for his dead brother’s birthday.”

“Then why didn’t you get him then, Randy?”

“Because Jae’s protector brothers closed in on her location before I was able to clear it from the satellite feed affixed to their cell phones. She’d been using another agent’s phone. But she is tracking Grant down. Trust me, she won’t give up until she finds him.” Randy was through talking. “Look, I don’t feel like dragging Grainger from your car, so why don’t you just take mine? I’ll pick it up tomorrow night when I come out to the Institute. And you’re right, Otis, I’ll take another look at those two test subjects.” Randy glanced at Grainger again. “He was a tough bastard to crack, wasn’t he?”

“Well, um…” Otis hedged, glancing up into the rearview mirror as he spoke. “Yes, SAC Grainger has been most difficult to manage, but that is what I expected from an ex-Marine, Randy. They’re known for their craftiness and they’re strong-willed and resourceful. You add all of that to their agility and nothing stops them. They adapt very well when the situation calls for them to pull on those abilities to survive.”

Randy snorted. “What, are you in love, Otis?”

“I’m stating a fact. Those other Marines were no different and yet they didn’t survive.”

“Yeah, well, Grainger’s none of that now,” Randy said, dismissing Otis’s rambling as he rounded the hood of the car to the driver’s side. When Otis stepped out of the vehicle, Randy dropped the single key into the doctor’s hand. “And don’t scratch it, Otis, or I’ll take payment from your cut of the money from our investors,” he said, getting in the car and putting it in gear. “I’ll call you tomorrow to set up a time to come in,” Randy called out through the passenger side window as Otis waved and walked toward the other car.

Randy drove off, in Otis’ car leaving a cloud of dust and gravel.

Twenty seconds later, a loud explosion sounded, as a brilliant orange light lit up the sky. Randy didn’t slow down.

“Problem one, solved,” he said with a glance up in the rearview mirror, looking at the burning car with Otis’s body inside. He also saw Grainger’s head roll with the bumps in the road. “Now, to take care of problem number two,” he said, slowing the car down and veering into a deserted field.

In the backseat, Luke remained in a state of shock over what he’d heard. It took every bit of strength he had not to reach out and choke the last breath out of Randy Cross.

While the men were talking, Luke had slowly freed himself of the plastic flex handcuffs that were surprisingly loose around his wrists.

Through sheer concentration with each passing second, his mind became clearer and stronger. Luke cursed silently, eager to gather his strength. His mind wasn’t the empty shell Dr. Holmes had convincingly told Randy that it was.

* * * * *

“I still don’t understand why we had to come up to Baltimore for a case we’re not involved with,” McGuire said before gulping down a glass of lemonade. “This case belongs to Agents Jackson and Bell. Let them handle their own assignments.” He was seated across the dining room table, directing his displeasure at Darius. “And we all appreciate your folks being so hospitable to feed us all like this, Darius.” He sent a look around the dining room table to Mike, Iverson, and Amil.

It was time for Darius to fill them in on their real assignment. “We need to be here…for show because, one of our own is a mole.” Darius stopped talking abruptly when his mother and aunt entered the dining room carrying a large butter cake and another pitcher of lemonade. “Thanks, Mom,” he said, accepting the kiss she dropped onto his cheek, then she paused to tap his shoulder.

“You know, Darius, your brother had a problem with moles in his backyard, too,” his mother said, as she went around the table refilling drinking glasses with lemonade. “He got so fed up with those critters digging holes all over his yard, he set traps and then flushed them out, one by one until finally, no more moles,” she said, returning to pat his arm.

Darius’s expression dared his team members to laugh at his mother’s innocent comments. “That’s a great idea, Mom,” he said, cringing that his mother had overheard him. “But let’s keep that quiet, okay?”

As the guys accepted plates of cake his aunt served them, Darius thought about what had happened last night at the motel.

After freeing Mike from his union with the toilet in the motel room, Darius received a priority call from Deputy Director Roberts, who relayed a hasty message he’d received from a physician who feared for his life and that of several innocent people. The caller then hung up.

Since all calls coming into the field offices were automatically recorded and personal lines secured, both the deputy director and Darius wondered how the doctor was able to reach the director without clearance. While contemplating how to deal with the caller’s complaint, Darius had been told that Randy Cross would be notifying him with details of their next assignment.

After he’d spoke to Randy and got the particulars about the assignment, Darius and the team boarded an Amtrak train to Baltimore. As a precaution against the possibility that their agency phones were compromised, he decided to hold off on briefing them until they arrived in Maryland. He hoped the descent on his family for a home cooked meal would be enough to calm the guys down about having been uprooted on short notice.

Thinking about Jae, Darius was beginning to reevaluate his position on what may have happened to Grainger. He was starting to believe that she could be onto something just as positive as he was that she and Grant were together. Darius knew Jae had great instincts. He also knew she had a wicked right hook and was fully capable of taking care of herself. The more pressing and disturbing thought was that he too was beginning to suspect that if there was a traitor amongst them, it could be someone in their own office, someone who knew everything and had unlimited access to technology.

“Why do you think Jae took off with the doctor like that?” Amil asked, when Darius’s mother and aunt retreated to the kitchen, leaving them alone to speak freely.

His thoughts interrupted, Darius returned his attention to the matter at hand. “Well, with you boneheads throwing fists after jumping in first and asking questions later, it didn’t leave her much choice, did it?” Darius said.

“Do I need to explain again how Jae and that idiot doctor tricked me?” Mike bristled. “Hell, I’m never going to get all that duct tape off my suit. Do you have any idea how much that suit cost me?”

“You can’t blame anybody but yourself, Mike,” Darius said, laughing as he slapped the table. “Man! That must have been sweet how she took you down and then left you cuffed to a toilet. Priceless. Not to mention, she took your weapon and your cell phone, too! You must feel really stupid right about now, don’t you? I’m so glad I snapped a picture on my cell phone.” Darius could barely contain his amusement as he recalled how they all heard the woman’s piecing scream all the way across the highway from the motel.

“Must I reiterate a fact?” Mike countered defensively. “She had help. I let my guard down for one second and she took advantage.” Mike ignored the stifled chuckles around the table.

“I have plans tonight, Darius, and I don’t want to be stuck in Baltimore,” Amil said.

“And you might keep them.” Darius got the briefing under control and returned to more serious matters. “We’re not sure who we can and cannot trust besides the people in this room, and Jae.” He met each man’s eyes directly before moving on. “Until further notice, there will be no electronic communications; no email, text messages, or cell phones used; nothing that can be tracked or cracked. We’ll pick up some prepaid cell phones on our way back to Penn Station.”

He asked them to pull out their small notebooks and instructed each man to briefly profile all thirty-plus personnel in their office, including the cleaning and maintenance staff. Once completed, they would compare notes to come up with anyone who would benefit from Grainger and Randall being out of commission.

Already a name had formed in Darius’s head. He had written that name at the top of his list. Years of experience, observation, and training were no match for his gut instincts…and right now his gut was screaming at him.

Randy Cross was his chief suspect.

* * * * *

Jae stood under the shower spray, letting warm water pummel her back. She savored the feeling of completeness Trevor had given her and with a sigh, came another vivid recollection of their night together.

She shouldn’t have let it happen. “I know better, damn it.”

Jae prided herself on not being the type of woman who gave into her desire, only to later blame it on being lost in the moment.
Bullshit
, she thought. She knew how to get herself out of an intimate encounter though that hadn’t happened with Trevor. She
wanted
him to touch her, kiss her, love her. She should have regretted it but she didn’t.

Jae recalled the second she leapt into Trevor’s arms. It was puzzling because it was done without any hesitation whatsoever. She’d gotten caught up in the moment. Talking herself out of it or weighing the pros and cons of sleeping with him wasn’t an option.

Being held in his arms was her only thought. She didn’t let her mind become clouded as she hungrily kissed him.

Recalling the sheer joy and passion of being with him, Jae closed her eyes and pulled in a steam-filled breath. Was she willing to risk so much by giving in to what she wanted? Yes, she was, how could she not? His touch was irresistible. “It was just sex,” she whispered, trying to convince herself.

Yet, in her head she could hear their words of excitement and encouragement as their passions increased to a fevered pitch, growing stronger to the sweetness of surrender, time and time again.

She’d made a mistake by letting Trevor into her soul. She hadn’t meant for him to get to that part of her that she firmly kept armored. But somehow he had and for a few precious hours he’d left her drained of fears and self-doubt. In their place was a sweet comfort of unimaginable fulfillment and contentment.

For the first time, Jae had allowed herself to welcome uncontrolled desire and passion and to cling to a man with reckless abandonment, forgetting everything else.

For the moment, it was a fantasy because that was all there could ever be between them.

But Jae was scared. She understood she’d been fighting a strong sexual attraction toward Trevor. In fact, she’d been so drawn to him as she watched him, from his facial expressions right down to his fingers moving in time with the music at the club, that she’d forgotten why she was there. She’d become so captivated that she had let precious minutes slip by and allowed a killer to move within striking distance.