Kissing Sin (23 page)

Kade’s gaze went to Rhoan. “I don’t know. But we were barely there a week when it all went ass up. Those things attacked and killed Denny, and drugged me.” He shrugged. “I was in that breeding center a good two months by the time Riley came along.”

I shifted my weight again, trying to ease the ache in my feet. “Which begs several questions—why kill your partner and keep you alive? And why did no one question your disappearance?”

“I think you’ll find the answers to both those questions are intertwined,” Jack commented. “Kade’s partner had no recorded psi-gifts. Kade, on the other hand, is psi-immune and, at the same time, able to use his own formidable talents.”

“Which they could only have known about if they’d had access to his file. And that would be impossible without alarms—” I stopped, remembering what Misha had said. I looked from Jack to Kade and back again. “
That’s
what Misha meant. There’s a mole in your department.”

Kade nodded. “And it comes down to two men—my immediate boss, Ross James, or the man in charge of the whole section, one General Martin Hunt. They were the only two who knew Denny and I were out in the field, and why.”

“But surely the alarms would have been raised regardless?” How could two men disappear without an alert being raised? Especially in a military division?

“If it’s Ross James, he could easily be submitting false reports,” Rhoan commented. He looked at Jack. “We’re having both men investigated?”

“Yes. At the moment, both men appear cleaner than an angel’s halo.” Jack’s expression was as grim as I’d ever seen it. “And, of course, Ross James knows Kade is free and with us, because I confirmed Kade’s identity with him when we were in Leura.”

“So what are we going to do?”

“Ross James is the easier target. He’s human, and though he apparently has strong psi-shields, they aren’t rated high enough to keep me out.”

“Which is why he’ll never become a general,” Kade murmured.

“He knows Kade is alive, so we’re using that, and have arranged a meeting.”

“To what end?” Rhoan asked. “We both know he’ll be wearing the latest in psi-deadeners. Even if he is innocent, I very much doubt whether he’d be stupid enough to come alone.”

“Which is why you’ll be there to run interference.”

Which meant I got left with Quinn yet again. Given the time he was taking to make his decision, I wasn’t exactly happy about that. I mean, putting me with him was like flashing chocolate my way then telling me I couldn’t have it. It was just plain mean.

“Meanwhile,” Jack continued, “Quinn and Riley will be investigating Martin Hunt.”

“And how are we supposed to be doing that?”

“Easy.” Jack’s gaze went to Quinn. “I believe you have an invitation to the Wishes For Children Foundation’s charity dinner tomorrow evening?”

“Yes.”

“Good. Hunt will be there, as his wife is on the foundation board. You and Riley can mingle with the nation’s finest highfliers, and get a line on Hunt in the process.”

“There’s a major problem in
that
thinking.” Sarcasm edged my voice. “If Hunt is a baddie, he knows what I look like.”

“Which is why Rhoan will be bringing in Liander.”

“It’s too big a risk.” Though Quinn’s voice was soft, steely determination was evident in his tones. “I’ll go, but Riley should stay here.”

“We need Riley’s nose. Hunt might have been one of the men who visited her in that breeding cell. If he is, we’ve found a major player.”

It wouldn’t be that easy. Deep down, I knew there was someone else—someone I knew. Someone who was pulling all the strings from the shadows.

“They’ve snatched her twice now, and have tried to kill her several times since. Her DNA is as useful to them dead as it is alive. Sending her to this function could be as good as signing her death warrant.”

“They won’t know she’s even there.”

“They knew she was at that Brighton hotel. They knew she was in the car park. You cannot possibly say for sure they won’t know she’s at the function.”

“I do agree that Riley shouldn’t be doing this,” Rhoan added. “She’s not trained for undercover work.”

“This won’t be dangerous,” Jack said impatiently. “And Quinn will be there to protect her.”

“
None
of us have been doing a very good job of protecting her so far.” Rhoan met my gaze. “It’s your call.”

Which meant he’d back me, no matter what I decided. Even if it meant going up against Jack’s orders. I smiled, loving my brother more than ever.

“It’s Liander doing the disguising, and I trust him.” I looked at Jack. “I need an end to this madness. I want to get back to a normal life.”

He didn’t say the obvious—that for me, the chance of a normal life had well and truly slipped by. But he was thinking it. I could see it in his eyes.

“Good” was all he said. “Kade, Quinn, and Riley, get some rest. Rhoan, you go back to town and get Liander. Take a couple of men with you.”

I waited until the three men had left, then met Jack’s gaze. “There’s one thing you seem to have forgotten. My nightly appointments with Misha start tomorrow.”

“I haven’t forgotten it. The function is early evening. A car will pick you and Quinn up at ten, and deliver you back to the airport. Quinn’s using his own plane, and the jet will have you back in time for your meet with Misha.”

“If all goes according to plan.” And so far, nothing had.

“Things are starting to fall our way, Riley. It’ll be all right.”

I rubbed my arms, and hoped like hell he was right, because it wasn’t only my life on the line tomorrow, but Quinn’s as well. Jack seemed to have forgotten that Quinn had already been the target of several assassination attempts. Or maybe he simply didn’t care.

“Here’s an image of the general and his wife.” He swung the com-unit around so I could see the pics. The general was tall, solidly set, with salt-and-pepper hair and a craggy face. His wife was tallish, thickish, with a nondescript sort of face and dull brown hair. The sort of couple you wouldn’t even look twice at.

“Go get some rest,” he added. “You look beat.”

I was. But as I stood outside the door, sniffing the air to sense which direction Kade and Quinn had gone, it wasn’t sleep I had on my mind. But luckily for me and my need for sleep, my hormones weren’t running the ship just yet. I found an empty cell, stripped down, and went to sleep.

But it could hardly be called rest.

Not when my dreams were invaded by a faceless man who took his fill of me and left nothing in return.

A man I’d once known intimately.

A man whose name hovered close enough to taste, but not remember.

I
woke to the awareness I was no longer alone. The air was rich with muskiness, and stirred frustrated hormones to life. I opened my eyes.

Kade sat in the chair opposite the bed, and smiled when he saw me watching him. “Thought I’d wander in and offer you an apology.”

“Not to mention enjoy the view.” I thrust the blankets away and stood up.

His gaze slid down me, appreciative and warm. “Well, there
is
a whole lot to enjoy.”

“As long as you look and don’t touch. There’s work to be done, and very little time.”

“There’s always time for sex, sweetheart.”

My hormones hastily formed a cheer squad at the prospect of some horse-shifter loving, but I managed to ignore them. “Is Liander here?”

“Yep.”

“Then there’s no time.”

He rose and walked toward me. I pressed a hand against his chest, stopping him before he got too close. “I said no, Kade.”

He took my hand, and raised it to his lips. His breath was warm on my fingertips, his kiss soft, sweet. “What if I promise to be quick?”

“We’ve done quick. I’d like to do long for a change.” And even as I said it, I smiled. Because when it came to flesh, Kade did long better than
any
man alive.

He tugged me forward lightly and wrapped his arms around my waist. He felt so good, so warm and hard, that desire swirled through me. That was the beginning of the end when it came to resistance, and I knew it.

“We have half an hour and a single bed,” he said, as if sensing the sudden lessening of resolve.

“Don’t you think a single bed is a wee bit small for the two of us?”

“If you think that, you haven’t been loved right in a single bed.”

The smile touching his lips was cheeky, and my own twitched in response. Because I wanted to. Lord how I wanted to.

And truth be told, had it been Kellen standing in front of me, it would have been an instant yes, and Liander be damned. It was
that
thought, more than anything, that had the last of my reluctance slipping. Kellen might have been a wolf, but Kade could never be deemed a lesser lover. “If Jack bites my ass over being late, you are off the loving list, my horny friend.”

He laughed. “Trust me, Jack won’t get anywhere near your delicious ass. I promise to protect it from all comers.”

I had sudden visions of him swatting away everyone—including new suitors—and snorted softly. Maybe that wasn’t such a good idea after all. “Half an hour. No more, no less.”

“Done deal.” He dropped a kiss on my lips, then tugged me over to the bed.

I have to say, the man certainly knew how to make the most of a single bed.

And he emphasized his point in the most dramatic way, and proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that I
hadn’t
been loved right in a single bed before now.

It was a good forty minutes later before he was escorting me down the hall to the bathroom where Liander had set up shop. Once there, he dropped another kiss on my lips, one designed to tease and arouse.

He succeeded in doing both.

“We’ll pick up this little discussion later,” he said, and walked away whistling happily.

I blew out a breath, then opened the door and walked inside. Rhoan and Liander were making out against one of the stall walls.

“You want me to come back later?” I asked dryly.

Rhoan came up for air, and gave me a wide grin. “Your timing could have been better, but this will keep.”

“You sure?”

“No, but Jack will kill us if we delay more than necessary.” He squeezed Liander’s rump then stepped away.

Liander’s gaze met mine, amusement silvering the gray depths. “Besides, making you up is almost as much fun as making out.”

“You obviously lead a sad sex life.”

“Well, your brother could use a pointer or two, but hey, he’s not untrainable.”

Rhoan crossed his arms and leaned a shoulder against the wall. “Careful what you say, or I might just take this unworthy body elsewhere.”

Liander snorted. “You do anyway.”

“Now, boys,” I interrupted, feeling an argument headed our way. “Work first, lovers’ tiff afterward.”

“No,” Rhoan corrected, a mischievous glint in his eyes. “Work first, then sex, then lovers’ tiff. Get your priorities right, please.”

“Sorry,” I said dryly. “So, have we decided what sort of look we’re going for this time?” The last time we’d done this, I’d become an albino prostitute. Not the sort of look one needed for an upmarket function.

Liander tossed me a small bottle of lavender fluid. “Go shower with that first. It’ll erase your base scent for the next twelve hours.”

Relief ran through me as I headed for the showers. At least if the wolf that had used me in the breeding center was there, my scent wouldn’t give me away. Once I’d washed, I sat in the chair Liander had swiped from one of the offices, and let him loose.

“Quinn has been photographed with a parade of smoldering, brown-haired beauties in the past,” Liander explained, as he began to recolor skin and hair, “so that’s the look we’re going for here.”

“And will this goop wash out easily?” I asked, watching with a faint sense of horror as my red-gold hair became a chocolaty, hazelnut color.

“Yes. Trust me.”

I did trust him, but that didn’t stop the dismay. I mean, I loved my hair. Loved its color. Watching it become brown was more than a little disturbing.

But it was amazing the difference hair color, blue contacts, and a bit of fancy makeup made. It wasn’t me in that mirror. It was someone else. Someone suitably smoldering enough to hang off a billionaire playboy’s arm.

“Wow,” Rhoan said, which was basically what I was thinking.

“We haven’t finished yet.” Liander’s expression was pleased as he held up a scrap of vibrant red material. “Now the dress.”

I gave him a deadpan look. “That is not a dress. That’s a tube of fabric.”

“This tube is the very latest in evening wear, and costs a sheer fortune.”

“That doesn’t make me like it any more.”

“You’ll look stunning in it.”

“I’ll look like a damn beacon. People will have to wear sunglasses to look at me.”

Liander grinned. “We want people to look at you. We want people to admire that glorious body of yours, and not look any deeper.”