Keep Me Safe (5 page)

Storm leans across the coffee table towards Kane, his voice deliberately low while I am out of earshot. “So, what’s the story? You could cut the sexual tension in here with a knife….no, fuck….a chainsaw.”

DCI Mercer sniggers loudly, arching an eyebrow at Kane. “Yeah, I felt it too. Is your cock twitching after the lovely Miss Sinclair, Kane?”

Kane scrapes a hand aggressively across his jaw. “Fuck the pair of you!” He growls, shaking his head in frustration.

“Might as well spill it now, boss, before you implode.” Storm beckons.

Kane eyes his partner, a slow guilty smirk spreading across his face. “We accidently kissed.”

“Accidently?” Storm exchanges a puzzled look with Jack Mercer.

“Long story. But yeah, it happened.” Kane slumps back in the chair, pawing a hand across the back of his neck.

“And?” Jack pushes, leaning in towards Kane. Storm follows suit.

“For fuck’s sake! I wanted to throw her over my shoulder, toss her s
weet ass in my bed and fuck her until she couldn’t walk straight. Happy now?” Kane leans his elbows on his knees, enveloping his head in his large hands.

Storm releases a low whistle. He has never known Kane to lose his cool….not while on the job, and especially not over a woman. But the acknowledging silence between them is the recognition that Kane cannot pull himself from this mission.
Always finish the job…..

As I enter the sitting room I am
confused as each man snaps his head in my direction. It would appear that I may have just missed some crude laddish joke at my expense.  I shrug it off placing the tea and coffee on the table. “So Jack, you have an update for me?”

He coughs lightly, forcing himself back into professional mode. “Indeed. There have been several developments.”

***

Jack Mercer takes
a long slug of his coffee. He nods before speaking. “Your gut was right, Sky. The second autopsy on the victim showed up traces of Hydrogen Cyanide in her blood stream. It was missed at the first autopsy. So we are definitely looking at homicide….unless of course, the victim decided to top herself in plush surroundings. But I doubt that. But it shouldn’t have been missed at the first autopsy.”

I shake my head. “No, it would be easy to miss HCN if you were not looking for it. It is virtually undetectable. That is why it is
the
favoured method of killing especially amongst certain criminal groups.”

“Indeed. But we now need to track the source where
it was obtained before we can finger anyone as a suspect.”

“I would hazard a guess that it was not bought. It was probably made. Unfortunately, it is easy enough to make it.” I shrug. I notice Storm and Kane exchange looks, both intently listening to our conversation.

“Made?” Storm enquires.

“
Yeah. Made. Probably in someone’s kitchen. All you need is to get hold of some ethanol, in the form of vodka or wine usually, or another drink with a high percentage of alcohol. Then mixing with ammonia under the right conditions will produce HCN. If you have no ammonia, substitute for some fertiliser, the high nitrogen and hydrogen content will suffice. Simply 'mix' these ingredients and warm them at around 200C for about 20 minutes. The resulting liquid should be majorly ethanol, however a small amount of HCN will have formed, enough to kill a mammal up to the size of a horse
.
” 

I palm through the rest of the file that was handed to me previously.  I note the silence in the room. Looking up, I encounter the wide eyed expressions of all three men. “What?”

“Damn. You know your stuff, lady.” Storm grins at me.

“You sound surprised. Did you think I have some underpaid researcher do all my work for me? That’s not my style. What else have you got for me, Jack?”

I lean back into my chair bring my knees snugly into my chest as Jack continues with the rest of the developments.

Chapter Seven

The days following the
update of the investigation settled into our now usual routine of communicating with each other only when it was absolutely required. I want to raise the subject of our kiss but as time passes, it seems almost pointless now. However, occasionally, I catch Kane eyeing me intently before he snaps his head away.

Today, according to the weather forecast, is going to be hot. I am beginning to feel stir crazy and need desperately to work off the anxiety and tension that sits permanently in every muscle of my body. Kane has announced that he will be in the gym
, housed within the boathouse, for the next hour. I decide to throw on a bikini and sit outside in the gardens.

I am restless. The sun is high in the sky, I have an array of books from the study, and my laptop open but still I cannot focus or settle. I make my way across to the boat house. I peek through one of the smaller windows, a breath catching instantly in my throat. Kane is stripped bare wearing only a pair of work-out joggers slung low on his hips. Sweat glisten
s off his body as he alternates between side kicks and punches on an old boxing bag suspended from the ceiling.

I am transfixed watching as singular muscle
s ripple, flex and contract as he repeats each motion over and over. His body is a solid mass of muscle, from his wide shoulders down to the delicious v shape leading to……OMG

I can feel myself beginning to pant as my breathing becomes laboured and my arousal deepens. I squeeze my thighs
together tightly to release some of the ache building in my sex. I mentally trace a finger along each delicious curve and line of his tattoo which, for the first time, I can now see clearly. Black inked curves run down through his hip, down through the v but ending where?

Rational thought escapes me. I throw open the wooden doors and enter the gym. “Can I join you, Kane?”

He snaps his focus across my near naked body. His eyes narrow, his nostrils momentarily flaring. “You are hardly dressed for a work-out.” He grunts gruffly.

I scan the triangular pieces of material barely covering my modesty, tilting my head up in a challenge. “I can cope if you can.”

A slow smirk spreads across his lips. “I can cope, just fine.”

***

“I can’t do it!” I pout, frustrated.

“Of course you can. Just spread your legs a little wider!” He barks at me.

“I said….I can’t!” I stand up from my stretching position that Kane (aka drill sergeant) has tried to put me in, stamping a foot in deeper frustration. “You are trying to split me in half…..and stop shouting at me like a fucking drill sergeant!”

Kane stands before me, hands firmly on each hip. He smirks at my tantrum. “I thought spreading your legs was easy for a woman.”

I whip my head around and throw him my best death glare. “What did you just say?”

He throws
up each hand in mock surrender. “Ok….that was below the belt. I just couldn’t resist it. I was enjoying the tantrum too much.”

I snatch
up a pair of boxing gloves and hurl them with full force at his head. “Boxing gloves. Now!” I snarl at him.

Ducking out of the launched missiles, he laughs loudly. “You cannot be serious. You want to fight me?”

I struggle each hand into a boxing mitt. “Right now I want to wipe that smirk right off your face!”

He shakes his head stifling yet another laugh.
Picking up the mitts that narrowly missed his head, he slides each large hand into the tight fitting glove. “So shall I give you a head start, sweet cheeks? Shall I shut my eyes?”

I square up to him until we are nearly toe to toe. I lift both hands into
a defensive position and prepare my attack. He lifts his hands to mirror mine throwing me a wink. Suddenly, I drop my hands. “Hold on, I have an itch.” I thumb my right breast free from its triangular enclosure exposing the rose bud of my nipple. As I watch his wide eyes divert to the distraction, I throw an uppercut smack into row three of his superb six pack. “Ha, ha sucker!”

He flinches, but only for a spilt second. “Nice. Now let’s see you handle this!” He growls playfully as he launches towards me, tackling me to the ground.

I cry out in pain as he accidently elbows me in the jaw. Involuntary tears spring into my eyes as a sob jumps from my chest. He throws off his gloves, anxiety etched on his face. “Christ, I’m sorry.” He cradles me into him stroking my jaw. “Are you ok? I didn’t mean it.”

“I know you didn’t.” I try to shake free from his tight hold. “I think I should go back to my sunbathing.”

“Sky…..” He whispers, before tenderly thumbing again across my jaw and across my bottom lip. He leans his face towards me brushing his lips softly along my jaw. “Shall I kiss it better?” he murmurs against my throat, nipping and suckling the length of my neck. A moan escapes my lips as I melt into his hold, already parting my lips, waiting hungrily for his mouth on mine. He brushes a thumb across my bottom lip, stroking me slowly, seductively, before leaning into me, licking the same spot with his tongue. I moan at the heat of him. He locks his lips across mine, pressing harder into me, his tongue searching for the comfort of my mouth. Our tongues dance and circle, stoking the fires of our arousal. He groans full into my mouth.

He folds me down until we are lain, limbs entangled on the floor,
pressing his groin and hardening erection against me. I grind myself against the thickness of the shaft seeking a deeper connection. I arch my hips into him as he presses himself harder into my sex. Locking my fingers around his neck I pull him harder into me, drunk on the taste of him.

“Sky…..” He groans, slowly separating our connection. “We….we have to stop.” He is breathing hard, still nibbling at my neck. “We have to stop.”

“Kane…”

He pulls harshly away from me. He rests his head in his hands. “We can’t do this. You are my client. I’m here to protect you. I need to remain focussed.” And with that he strides out of the boathouse, leaving me a melting mess of
arousal and frustration.

Chapter Eight

Vikt
or walks cautiously across the manicured lawns of the Russian oligarch’s £147 million Kensington Palace Garden mansion. His boss looks relaxed in a lounger by the vast swimming pool. He is surrounded by paid lovelies all more beautiful than the next. Alexei guffaws as two girls wrestle each other in the pool, their firm breasts bouncing in unison. He palms his twitching cock underneath his Vilebrequin swimming shorts.

Viktor sighs deeply. He is about to put his boss in a very bad mood.

Alexei snaps his hand free as he senses the approach of Viktor. “You had better have some good news to tell me, Viktor. You wouldn’t want to spoil my fun today now would you?” He glares at the man standing shifting nervously from one foot to the other. Alexei turns his attention to the woman sat at the end of his lounger. “Leave us. We need to discuss some business that will only bore you, my darling.”