Tomahawk (9 page)

Pulling herself back up on the couch.  “What the hell are you doing here?  I thought that ass kicking that you got would have made you think twice about coming back.”  Pulling the covers over her legs.

“Ass kicking, huh?  I remember you looking like a deer in the headlights the last time I saw you.  Holding your weapon as if it could really save you against me.”

She holstered her weapon and rolled her eyes.  “What do you want?”

Stretching his arm on the back of the couch he twisted towards her.  “Mel, May I call you that?”  He didn’t wait for her to reply. “Mel, to be honest with you I really have no idea why I am here.  With everything that is going on with your team leader and the other members, I guess I wanted to see how you were holding up with all of this.”

“What does it matter?”

“Your behavior on this team could either make you a better member or a pariah.  My job is to make sure your team has one mind and one goal at all times.  When there is a kink in the armor, well.”  He threw his hands in the air.  “What’s the point in wearing armor then?”

“What do you want me to say?  I don’t know her; this is the first time that any of the guys have ever spoken a word about her.  It’s just…I don’t know.  She’s hiding something and they don’t want to see it. They’re too close to it. You know what I mean?” 

He didn’t break eye contact with her.  “Do you really expect me to believe that this is the reason that you are pouting?”  He smiled.

“My goodness she put the Care Bear stare on you?”  She shook her head.

“I get it. When there is too much estrogen in the room, you feel, how can I say it…less than a woman?”  Melissa huffed.  “Sore spot?  So which is the lucky team member that is keeping you warm in this DC weather?”

Her upper lip hitched up and her eyes narrowed.  “If you think that I’m sleeping with anyone from the team, you must be sicker than I thought.  You have put women back a thousand years with that comment.”  She stood. 

Kinney grabbed her wrist and pulled her back to the couch.  “It hurts, doesn’t it?  You’re in love with one of them, aren’t you?  I can see it all over your face.”  Melissa began to pull away but he gave her a quick squeeze.  “Let’s see, it can’t be Andrew. The man would break you in two.  Or do you like that sort of thing?” 

“You disgust me.”  Giving one more tug on her captured arm.

“I know that it’s not Moore. He is too wrapped up with the girl.  So that only leaves, well, you with Ryan.”
 
Melissa tried her hardest to make herself a statue, give him nothing. “So how long have you had feelings for the other Mr. Moore?  Did you start developing feelings for him when you two were held up in Israel?  You were just a kid then. Your balls hadn’t even dropped.”  Tugging on her wrist, he let go.

Stumbling a few steps back she glared at him.  He was playing her. This man had no way of knowing her feelings for Ryan.  A smile stretched across her face.  “Maybe, I don’t go for small fish, Kinney. Have you thought of that?  Grunts aren’t my thing. Men of power are better than anything else.”  She looked down from his dusty designer shoes to his wrinkled suit to those weathered eyes.  “Screwing with a guy on the team is not only stupid, but not good for the long run.”

Sparking his interest.  “How so?”

“If and we are only saying if.  If I were to crap where I eat, I wouldn’t sleep with the mail boy. It would be the CEO.”

“Really?”

“Really.  Girl’s gotta eat.”  She tried to put more sway into her narrow hips as she went into the kitchen. It didn’t take a brain surgeon to know that Kinney would follow.

Melissa looked over the features of Tonya on her computer screen.  
What the hell does she have that I don’t?  
Besides the attention of every male in probably a five-block radius.  She enlarged her driver’s license picture.  Who in the hell takes a good driver’s license picture? 

“That is not a look of indifference but of envy.”  She had almost forgotten that Kinney was still lurking.  Kinney was damn near peering over Melissa’s shoulder.  “A woman like you shouldn’t be concerned with the affairs of what did you call them, grunts.” She gave him a sharp look.  “Your words not mine.  The young Mr. Moore would be a fool not to see you.”

“I told you--”

“No, you didn’t tell me anything.  But now I’m bored of talking about you and your love life.”  He looked down at her.  “Well, the lack there of.  Do you mind?”

Reaching around her.  “Matter of fact I do.  Don’t you have some cave or secret lair that you go to or something?”

“I’m having the cave cleaned today.  So could you get up or I will have to make you.”

He was serious and she considered fighting him for the seat at the kitchen table but the numbing pain in her wrist made her think otherwise.  She stood and pulled a chair from the table and sat next to the agent.

Minimizing the other tabs on the computer screen, he hacked into the DC database.  “Now this is what you should have done this morning.”

“Who’s to say that I didn’t?”  She folded her arms across her chest.

She watched his profile as he smiled.  “Who do you think got you this computer?  I see everything.”  The two were silent for a moment.  “Now, here we go. Just like I thought.”

Melissa craned her neck to see what he was looking at.  It was the police report from this morning.  Tonya’s police report. Melissa scooted her chair closer to get a better look at the report.  Kinney turned as if he was irritated with her breathing.  “Your position here is looking more and more…”

“What?”

“Unneeded.”  Not looking at her.  “Now here is what I really needed to know.”  He hummed to himself as Melissa wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of peering over his shoulder.  “Just like I thought.”  He stood and pushed the chair back under the table.

“What?  What did you find?”  Keeping an eye on him as he started to walk calmly to the front door.  “Wait.”

“Your team leader has put himself in a very bad situation.  When it rains it surely does pour.”

“What the hell are you talking about?”  Stepping in front of him blocking his way out the door.

Throwing his head back and releasing his breath.  “Nothing but death surrounds this man.”  His thin lips parted to speak then Melissa noticed Kinney’s right ear perk up and turned to the stair well.  He put a soft hand over Melissa’s who jerked back from him.  With one raised eyebrow Kinney gave her a smile and pushed her to the door and kissed her mouth.  Hard.

“What?  Get off me.”  She struggled. Kinney continued his assault on her mouth.

With labored breath, he whispered.  “There is someone in the house.  Probably here to kill you.  Slowly, get your coat, we’re leaving.”  Giving one last nibble on her chin. She’d been here before, this wasn’t new.  She turned grabbed her parka off the back of the kitchen chair.

Kinney smiled at her and took her hand.  Pulling her to his chest he put his face in her hair and inhaled.  “Don’t get into the car. We walk two blocks North. I’ll call a cab.  Kiss me back if you understand.”

Melissa looked up to him with hooded eyes.  Quick glance to his eyes then his mouth as she put both hands on his chest and kissed.  “Let’s go.”

So this is how she got out the house?  There was a hidden stairwell in the back of the house that came from the balcony of the master bedroom to the ground level.  “Sneaky girl.”  Removing a small pick from his pocket, within 15 seconds the exterior door to the master bedroom had been breached.  He got low and listened; the door didn’t make a sound not even a whine when it opened.  It was colder than death outside; maybe the burst of cool air alerted the girl downstairs.  She wouldn’t be a problem, but the Agent would be.

His feet seemed unable to touch the ground.  He had waited for this moment for years, the pure thrill of it all was making him want to shout.  Looking over at the unmade bed, the girl, Tonya had slept here. He was sure.  With the feeling that the soles of his feet didn’t touch the hardwood floor, he lay face down in the bed.  The smell of her hair, he became overwhelmed with emotions.  The sight of her, scared, insanely complacent.  He gripped the sheets, as if it were that thin blouse that she wore. 

He almost made himself sick on how much pleasure he was experiencing.  Denying himself the enjoyment of her.  He rolled over on his back and looked to the ceiling.  Maybe he wouldn’t kill her after all.  Maybe keep her around.  He closed his eyes and put the pillow over his face and inhaled her.  Devouring her was something that he almost wanted to regret.  Wanted to never hurt a woman in the manner that Lola was hurt.  Justifying it would make him just like Vic and Jacob.  Oh well, what's done is done.  Pulling himself off the bed and on to his feet, he walked with authority throughout the upper level of the house.  Peering into the spare bedroom, he grinned.

This must be his memorabilia room.  Concert poster, a vast collection of Redskin shirts and hats.  Omega Phi Gamma frat pictures hung on every inch of the wall.  Photo albums stacked in the corner next to a ratty futon.  Shot glasses from every part of the country lined a book shelve.  This guy had a hard time letting go, the intruder thought.

He wondered was there anything about his time in the White House still in here.  He decided that he would look at it after Vic and the team where dead.  Probably have Tonya show him around.  He smiled, closing the door behind him.  Then the house went silent.  He dare not take a peek over the banister to look, the blonde protested a kiss.  The poor agent struck out.  The agent spoke in a hushed voice; he put his hand on his weapon and held his breath.  He figured even if the agent had his gun loaded and ready, he still had a better shooting range above them.  The front door opened and closed.  They knew he was there.

"What the hell did you just say?!"  I was on my feet. Tonya gripped the collar of her robe in shock.  "Tonya, what did you say?!"

One second I was out of mind from what Tonya had just said, the next I was on my toes.  “Stop!”  Drew said, his enormous fist bunching my collar.  “Don’t scream at her.”  He gave me a quick shake and let me down.  My head was spinning, Tomahawk. That’s what she said, right?  She couldn’t know that name.

Tears filled the rim of her brown eyes.  “What?  What does it mean?”  Her voice was doing that high pitch thing. I hated the noise, and I hated the sound.  It was the sound of her distress and I couldn’t answer her.  Couldn’t give her any relief.

“What else did he say to you after that?”  I turned to her looking over Drew’s shoulder who took up post between us.  “What did he say?!”  I shouted.

“Take it easy.”  I felt Ryan creep up behind me.  For God’s sake he had no idea what that name meant either.  This was a nightmare.

I shouted to her again.  “Tell me Tonya. Tell me now!”

She stood pushing her way past the Drew.  “You want to know?  Well, Vic I’ll tell you.  He cut the ties off my ankles and told me to run. We were in the woods behind the school.”  Tonya’s voice rose and was shaking from anger.  “He let me get a few yards ahead, then he would catch me.  He did that a couple of times, until I knew that he wouldn’t let me go.  Then he asked who or what the Tomahawk was. I kept telling him that I didn’t know.  He shoved me back into his car on my stomach, took my panties off, and raped me from behind like a dog. Then he twisted my arm until it snapped. I’m sorry if I couldn’t hear what else he was saying between him grunting and coming in me.”  She bit at her bottom lip and put her hand on forehead. “I think I passed out because the next thing I remember, two joggers were looking down at me. One of them was kicking at my shoulder and a woman was saying that I was dead.  So there you have it.”  She put her arms out wide and looked at all of us in our faces. 

Ryan and Drew moving past me closer to her.  Drew reached out to her.  “Don’t fucking touch me.  Stop treating me like a kid, I’m an adult and I don’t need your pity.  All I want is for you to catch this guy.”

“We are going to do more than catch him. Tony I promise you that,”  Ryan spoke softly.

Drew and I stood chest to chest.  “We need to talk.  Now.”  I followed him to the bedroom.  “So are you going to tell her?  She has a right to know.”

“Tell her.”  I rubbed my hand over my face and felt the hard whiskers poking out of my face. 

“At the moment, it wouldn’t really make a difference.  She already hates you for everything else.  Adding one more thing to the list won’t make a difference.”