Radiant Surrender (CSA Case Files Book 6) (8 page)

Her thoughts kept drifting from Gavin to what she would find in her father’s study. Uncle John had to have been their handler and she hoped like hell she found something that would give away his location. He was the key to getting her family safely out of the United States. To some it wouldn’t be enough of a penance to be sent away for life. To Jessie she knew what it would do to her middle-aged mother and father. Being permanently separated from their family and friends would be the worst sentence they could possibly have to serve.

The last half hour had finally passed and Jessie found herself in the neighborhood that she’d grown up in. She knew better than to just pull into the driveway. She needed to keep an eye out for unfamiliar vehicles that looked as if they didn’t belong. The house would be monitored, so she took the third street on the right just inside the entrance of the development. Mrs. Steiner, a neighbor and fellow Bunko player of Jessie’s mother, lived by herself and went to sleep around nine o’clock every night. She’d lived down the block and up two streets for as long as Jessie could remember. She shut off the headlights before pulling the car into the driveway, averting any glare flaring in the windows. She cut the engine and listened to the silence around her. Several moments passed before the familiar sounds of a typical residential neighborhood in any town started to register. Crickets and frogs interrupted by the occasional distant bark of somebody’s dog chasing a cat as they hashed out the universal design.

Jessie’s parent lived in the back of the community so she would walk the quarter of a mile to her destination. Grabbing the handle, she used her shoulder to shove the low-slung heavy door open…the car had suffered from lack of use. She’d made sure to turn off the overhead light earlier and was now grateful. It would have to remain latched but ajar until she returned. She also didn’t want to slam the door shut and have the sound echo through the moist night air.

Grateful for the new running shoes that Nick had stopped for along with fresh socks and a few bare essentials every girl should have, Jessie used the darkness to maneuver through the yards. She stayed close to the houses, using the shadows to obscure her form when the clouds parted enough to allow the moon to peek through. She was only one street away and surveying the vehicles to make out which ones the FBI or whomever else might be hunting her were using to monitor her childhood home when a warm hand covered her mouth.

The adrenaline spike that shot through her body had her instantly struggling against the firm hold. Her scream was muffled and as she kicked her legs they made contact with the man behind her. It wasn’t nearly enough to get him to release her and fear started to consume her. She frantically grabbed the wrist and sunk her nails into the flesh as hard as she could while bucking her body away from her captive.

“For the love of God, would you stop already?” Gavin had spoken in a low, harsh voice into Jessie’s ear, although it took a moment for her to register who the hell it was. “Now.”

Jessie stopped struggling, suddenly limp with exhaustion and utter frustration at her failure to avoid detection. She felt like she’d run a marathon. The adrenaline was flooding her body and her anger was quickly fueled by it. She swatted at his hands and spun around to face him, barely making out his features in the darkness. Placing her palms on his chest, she shoved with all her might and became even more furious when the results were the same as pushing against a marble statue.

“You son of a bitch,” Jessie whispered, practically spitting the words out. “What the hell are you doing sneaking up on me like that? What if I’d been armed?”

“I’m more than capable of taking care of a female who isn’t using the God-given intelligence she was born with.” Gavin wrapped his fingers around her arm, pulling her deeper into the shadows. “We aren’t dealing with—”

“Wait.” Jessie stepped forward, not wanting her voice to carry. Something wasn’t adding up. “How did you know I would be here? Nick didn’t even know.”

“That’s irrelevant.” Gavin started to turn, taking her with him. She snatched her arm away from his grasp, refusing to leave here without what she’d come for. He had her up against the house before she could utter a word. She could feel his breath against her lips. “When will you learn to just do as you’re told, woman?”

“When you give me reason to,
Master
.” Jessie couldn’t help but emphasize the double meaning. He was infuriating and until he admitted that she meant more to him than just a former assistant, that’s when she would give his recommendations credence. “I had things handled.”

“Really? While you were looking inside the vehicles you weren’t paying attention to the house you just sidled up to. The FBI is currently positioned on all sides of your parents’ residence, including the one you’re leaning against. You would have been caught before you ever opened your parents’ front door.”

Jessie’s breath caught in her throat at the thought that she’d almost made a disastrous mistake. She wouldn’t admit that yet though, for that would give Gavin too much authority. There had to be a way inside. She needed access and if he would give her a moment to think instead of trying to get her to leave, she’d come up with an idea.

“We need a distraction.” Jessie tried to push against him, but it was like trying to move steel. “Gavin, I need to get into that house.”

“We’ll discuss it later.” Gavin started to pull back, but he pressed his weight against her when she stated it had to be now. Her heart raced when he got even closer than before. “You are the most stubborn, willful, tenacious—”

Gavin’s lips closed over hers, preventing either one of them saying anything else. For a brief moment all of Jessie’s troubles melted away and it was just the two of them…the way it was meant to be. His heat enveloped her, taking away the fear and worry that had plagued her for the last twenty-four hours. His sweet taste glided over her tongue, his masculine scent infused her senses, and the blood rushed through her ears. She curled her fingers, bundling up the soft black fabric in her hands. She’d waited years to feel him claim her and it was beyond anything she’d ever felt before. Jessie had never doubted it would be like this between the two of them.

His warm hands were now cradling her face, tilting her head at an angle and allowing him better access. She swore her heart stopped momentarily when his tongue sliced across her lower lip. She’d longed for this, yearned for this…and it was more than she’d ever imagined. It was perfect. That was, before he tore himself away.

“We’re not getting into that house tonight. Whatever it is that you’re after, we’ll obtain it after I’ve diffused the situation with the FBI.” Gavin pulled away, the clouds parting enough to show his schooled features. He spoke as if he’d never touched her. He was wearing a long-sleeved black shirt and black jeans. It was rare that he was in casual clothing, but he wore them just as well as he did his Armani suits. She wanted to address what had just happened, but at the same time she wanted to tell him that they were both dressed for this mission she’d embarked on. He didn’t give her the chance. “I should know by tomorrow if a full pardon will be granted. As for the moment, I’m getting you somewhere safe so that your ass doesn’t end up in federal custody tonight. That is, of course, unless you were looking forward to a full body cavity search by some old prison matron nicknamed
Cruella
.”

Gavin had a firm grip on her wrist, so when he started walking back the way she’d come she had no choice but to follow without making noise. By the time they’d crossed two of the neighborhood streets she figured they were far enough away for her to have her say.

“Even you have your limitations, Gavin,” Jessie said, keeping her tone low. “Ryland isn’t going to be granted that pardon and I’m going to be in the same situation then I am now. We’re here, just yards from the information I need. Let me—”

“We’re not discussing this here.” Gavin didn’t stop until he was at a vehicle that she’d never seen before. He opened the passenger side and brought her around to stand in front of him. His green eyes appeared like hardened crystals in the moonlight as he zeroed his gaze on her. “Get in.”

“You’re mad.” Jessie had been too caught up in the fact that he was even here, ahead of her. She’d also been preoccupied by how he’d made her feel with just a kiss. Her life was in turmoil and when she would have rejoiced at such a thing, she didn’t have the time at this very moment. Uncle John needed to be told what was going on and somehow, some way, get her parents out of the country. She wasn’t sure she could handle Gavin being angry with her right now. “You don’t get the right to be mad.”

Gavin lifted a hand and rubbed the back of his neck as if he were dealing with a petulant child instead of a very real woman with very real needs and desires. He’d done this numerous times in the office when she’d make a decision he didn’t agree with. Well, that was tough shit. She didn’t work for him anymore and how he felt about her at the moment shouldn’t matter either. She was now angrier than he was.

“I’m going into that house, Gavin.” Jessie put her hands on her hips and tilted her head up to that he could see the defiance in her eyes. “With or without you.”

Sixty seconds later she found herself sitting beside Gavin in his car as they pulled out of the development. She’d crossed her arms in frustration and was staring out the window, thinking of all the things she wanted to scream at him. She’d felt devastated once he’d explained the impossibility of it all. She was helpless to aid her parents in finding some semblance of peace to live out the rest of their lives. Whatever the government thought of them, or even Gavin for that matter, her mother and father had raised her to be a true American. That deserved something rather than a life sentence in a federal prison.

“Your way isn’t always the right way.” Jessie finally looked at Gavin. His eyes were on the road in front of them and the muscle in his jaw was easily discernable as he made known his own irritation. “And just so you know, that includes your personal life too. I’m more of a woman and less of the innocent child than you want to believe.”

Chapter Eight

C
rest didn’t want to take the chance of driving back to Minneapolis in the middle of the night. It was easier to make out the vehicles and faces on the CCTV surveillance cameras with minimal traffic at night. Potential satellite coverage made their chances even worse. The only option they had was hiding in the rush hour traffic tomorrow morning. He’d thought of various places they could hole up for a few hours without raising any eyebrows. It was a hell of a lot better than thinking about what he’d done back in that neighborhood.

“Where are we going?”

Jessie hadn’t really spoken for the last thirty minutes, with the exception of telling him he wasn’t always right. He’d refrained from replying to that. It wouldn’t do to get into another argument. Her heart shaped face had been pointed in the direction of the passenger window, but now her emerald green eyes were focused on him.

“A friend’s cabin. He’s not there at this time of year.”

Crest didn’t feel the need to share anything else with her. She’d placed them in a very precarious position and was wasting valuable time that he could be putting into ensuring her freedom. Again he abstained from engaging in that conversation. Having done so would have only increased the tension between them. Had this been a normal workday for him, he would have left the office and called up one of the women who enjoyed his company. His predilection for the lifestyle was a tension reliever, but he wouldn’t go down that path with Jessie because she was a novice and much too young and innocent.

The silence offered comfort and Crest finally found the back road that he’d been looking for. The moon was bright enough to offer the light he’d needed to drive down these country roads, even without the headlights. The trees had used the spring to grow back their leaves and they made a loosely enclosed tunnel leading down the path to their destination. The completely dark log cabin didn’t appear too welcoming, but it was better than the alternative. He pulled his vehicle in front of the small structure and cut the engine.

“Stay here.”

Crest used the handle and then shoved the door open, not bothering to see if Jessie followed his orders. She’d worked for him long enough to know when he’d had enough insubordination. He closed the door, using as little strength as he could so the noise didn’t resonate in the forest. He’d borrowed Townes’ car after having changed out the license plate. It would get them through until tomorrow when they were back in the city.

It didn’t take long to gain access to the old fishing cabin. Crest surveyed the one room structure. It would do. He turned on the side lamp that was directly to the left of the door on an antique table. The rustic motif was apparent with the handmade pine furniture. A couch and chair created a living area that faced the fireplace and the bed was positioned in the far right corner. As for the bathroom, the outhouse was around back but it was better than nothing.