Undercover Elite (Undercover Elite Book 2) (29 page)

Thorn

“Damn it!” My fist crashes down on the table and Melissa jumps. I apologize but I’m fed the fuck up and am ready to rain hellfire down on somebody to get this case closed.

“Where did she go? She isn’t answering her goddamn phone.”

“As pissed off as she was, I’m assuming she went to confront the doc.”

“I’m right here.” I hear Windy’s voice behind me as she walks into the room and slams her purse down on the table. She turns to me looking more fired up than I’ve ever seen her look before. And she’s directing the look at me like she’s spoiling for a fight. I don’t think I’ve ever been so glad to see anyone. I don’t know what she was expecting from me, but I rush over grabbing her by the shoulders, studying every inch of her, making sure she’s in one piece. “Let me tell you how this is gonna go, woman of mine. You’re getting fucked up packages left at the door? With dead animals? And you’re disappearing, not letting anyone know where you are? No more, baby. You’re not going back to work until this bitch is behind bars.” My arms wrap around her holding onto her so tightly that she speaks barely above a whisper.

“I can’t breathe, Thorn.”

“Neither could I,” I say before I cradle her face in my hands and kiss her for about a million years. “Not until you walked in that door just now. You can ask Melissa.”

Windy glances at her friend, who backs me up and then some as she deadpans, “Yep. There was no breathing. There was cussing, but no breathing.”

I roll my eyes but am too relieved to set her straight. “I’m sorry, baby. You’ve got to listen to me; I don’t want you around him. He’s enabling a crazed psycho to pile up the bodies. Now he’s pulled you into the middle of it. After what he pulled at the press conference, I’m done. I’m not kidding, Windy, the guy is as sick as she is, just in a different way.”

Harley strolls into the room, making a beeline for Melissa. “Hey,” he says to her in the softest voice I’ve ever heard him use. Well, well. Melissa seems to like his attention, too. For two people not saying a word, there’s a lot of communicating going on. I hate to break up their moment, but I’ve got to put some things in motion and, with his tech savvy, he’s the best man for the job.

“Hey, Harley, I’ve got a job for you – I want a tracker on Windy’s cell and I want her laptop and home computer cleaned. Let me know if you find anything of interest.”

“You got it,” he says, locking eyes with me but asking no questions. We stopped questioning requests from a brother years ago. My boys have my back, and I have theirs.

“Thanks, man,” I say as I take Windy’s hand and start to lead her from the room. I need to make my position on a few things clear in private. My phone ringing pulls me from the moment.

Agent Turner’s voice comes over the line, “You need to get down here to the river.”

“What’s going on?”

“We’ve got the body of the guard who helped her break out and you’re not going to believe where it washed up.”

“Where?”

“The gang’s warehouse. The son of a bitch washed up right by the fucking barge.”

“She knew that gangbanger confronted Windy in the elevator…” It’s more of a statement than a question. “Hell, the guard was probably the one that told her. Okay, we’re on our way.” I grab Windy, pulling her behind me and out the door without an explanation.

She turns around long enough to say two things: “Harley, you stay here with Melissa. And don’t let my dog out of your sight.”

Windy

“Slow down, Thorn, the guy is already dead. It’ll give us time to discuss why you think Georgia killed that kid who was in on that car theft ring case.”

“Well, it’s either her or the gang.”

“I say it’s 50/50 she killed that kid. And even if she didn’t… she left that guard to send a message to the gang.”

“Look,” Thorn says curtly, “I don’t know what the hell is going on between the doctor and this crazy bitch, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re fucking; nothing at this point would shock me. I don’t believe in coincidences, Windy, and this guy washing ashore in damn near the exact spot that kid was found is proof she at least has inside information. Think about it, baby: the only people who knew about that kid’s body being found there are the federal agents, the doc, and us.”

“I think she did it. She didn’t like that gangbanger putting the doctor in danger.”

“Putting him in danger? You were the one who was accosted in an elevator; you were the one in danger. Doc Brinkley was the one who rescued you – looks like I wasn’t the only one who got worked up over Brinkley’s heroism. Bet that really pissed Georgia off. Maybe she’s sending
you
a message with this one. Whatever…at this point I don’t trust anyone but you. This is one twisted bitch we’re dealing with.”

I roll my eyes as I speak more to myself than Thorn, “You have no idea.” Once again we pull up to the mayhem of agents, cops, the ME and crime tape. Agent Turner waves us over.

“Well, it looks like our girl has struck again.” He directs his attention toward me, “I’m not sure you’re going to want to see this, it’s pretty bad.”

“I’ll be fine,” I answer with much more confidence than I’m feeling at the moment.

“Suit yourself. One of the cops has already lost his lunch over it.”

Officer Centerfold approaches Thorn and places her hand on his arm to get his attention. “Thorn, Agent Turner’s right; it’s nothing a civilian should see alone.”

“I’m not a civilian and you should give some serious thought to moving your hand,” I say, which earns me a small smile from Thorn before he shrugs her off with an offhand, “No worries, Officer. We’ve got this.”

Thorn and I follow behind Agent Turner as I mentally prepare myself for what I’m about to see. I’ll likely see these people again during my career, so I don’t want to embarrass myself by losing my composure or anything else. The officer he spoke of is over to the side near some bushes, his hands are on his knees like he’s attempting to recover from throwing up but is considering doing it again. Poor guy.

The crime scene is every bit as horrific as we had been told, and I appreciate Thorn’s quiet support as the agent walks us through the evidence that has been collected. I also appreciate Thorn keeping a discreet distance, making a point of sending a clear signal to onlookers that I have a right to be there. I love him for that – and about a million other things.

The body shows all the signs of her MO. The corpse is so white that it’s taken on a blue hue and time in the water has bloated the corpse until he looks fifty pounds heavier than the last time I saw him alive. But there’s no doubt it’s the guard from the hospital. The man’s skin is laid open and shows beneath the shredded clothes he’s wearing and I resist the gag reflex I feel at seeing the body up this close. I push the acid back down forcing myself to take in what’s going on around me.

Though he’s wearing clothing, the cuts can be seen through it and the telltale femoral artery cut is evident by the slicing on the inner thigh of his pants. His clothes still bear the washed out traces of blood stains and do nothing to hide her vicious savaging of his body. Killers will often dump bodies in water to distort evidence, and that has certainly happened here. But I doubt that’s why she placed this body here; Georgia is making a point. She quit caring a long time ago about her identity being associated with the killings—now she revels in the public knowing she’s responsible. I’d go so far as to say she’d be offended if someone else took credit for one of her killings.

I swallow back the bile in my throat and try to sound professional; I won’t let that bitch take that from me. “She did exactly what she said she’d do. She used him until he had served his purpose – making special deliveries for her and God knows what else -- and then killed him before he could turn on her.” I shake my head in disbelief that this guy, who had to pass rigorous testing to be hired as a security guard in the first place, was naïve enough to believe he’d be the one she’d let live. What a fool.

Thorn

I pull her body in close to mine, our limbs a tangle and my hands smoothing her hair in an effort to comfort her. A majority of the day had been spent at the crime scene and, I’ve gotta say, she handled it like a goddamn pro.

“You did good, girl. That wasn’t easy for anybody down there. If it’s any consolation, it will get easier.” I raise my body up on one elbow so I can look down on her as I speak. “Windy, you don’t have to do this. I have complete confidence in your strength and your professionalism, but, baby…I also know you have a big heart.” I sigh heavily as I search for words that will convey my worry without insulting her, “I love your big heart; I don’t want anything to happen to it. This kind of thing, what you saw today, would be a lot for anyone, but for someone coming from your sheltered life, it may be too much.”

She cuts her eyes at me and I hope I haven’t crossed some unspoken line. And as she starts to speak, I know I have.

“I
want
to do this. This is all I’ve ever wanted to do, you know that! If you want to look out for me, that’s fine, Thorn, I even welcome it -- but I’ll never allow any man to put me in a bubble again. Not even you.” She folds her arms across her chest and looks up at me, all flustered and fuming.

Fuck but she’s hot when she’s on her soapbox. Down, boy; I’m trying to have a serious conversation here and I’m pretty sure my cock ain’t invited...

“Calm down, I’m not your daddy. I am, however, your man and, whether you like it or not, I’m going to protect you. If this is what you want to do with your life, I have no qualms. I
want
you to want to work cases, remember, I want you working with me. I know what that entails, and I still want it. But dealing with the kind of things you’ve been dealing with lately affects a person over time. I just don’t want it to affect you. I like you the way you are,” I whisper, running a hand down her flat stomach, “all soft and --”

“I’m tougher than you think.”

“Shhh, I want to fuck you and you’re talking too much.” I get up and take off the sweats I’m wearing and stroke my cock as I eye her, debating what I want to do to her first. She’s still trying to look mad, but I know those eyes, and those eyes are so on board with my plan. I reach down and twist my fingers in her dainty little panties, jerking them roughly and tearing them from her body. She struck a chord in me by trying to tell me what I can and can’t do, and I think I like the idea of showing her – not telling her -- that, that in our bed, she’s not in charge.

Her breath hitches and a fleeting second of fear shoots through her hazel eyes, causing the gold flecks to flicker in a way I’ve never noticed before. I want a lot of things from her, but fear isn’t one of them. “Hey,” I say softly, rubbing my thumb across her plump mouth. “It’s okay. You know me now, better than you ever did before. You know I don’t hold back…can’t hold back when it comes to you. But I won’t have you scared of me,” I declare quietly.

I position myself between her legs, my eyes locked on hers as I fold her legs back to give me access to her moist opening.

“You’re wet,” I groan as I slowly begin pushing into her. Her eyes become heavy lidded and her breathing is labored as she lifts her hips, trying to pull me in deeper. She’s confirming what I already know—we’re magic together.

I lift my upper body, setting a rhythm to my thrusts and I don’t stop her when her finger makes its way between her legs to massage her clit. “Fuck…damn, girl, it just gets better and better with you.” Her pussy flutters around me as she throws her head back, giving in to the friction of my cock invading her and the stimulation of her clit being rubbed. I power through her orgasm, gritting my teeth as her inner muscles work me hard.

I feel her hand move low between us, then she’s stroking my balls and I groan in pleasure, words spilling from my lips that I don’t even bother trying to understand. Through it all, I pound into her heat in a merciless rhythm that doesn’t come close to satisfying my need to own this woman. She rubs two fingers over my taint, massaging it slow and steady, and that shit sends me careening over the edge with a roar.

It’s all I can do to peel myself off my girl as I reach for my ringing phone, but in my line of work you have no choice but to answer.
What the fuck?
It’s the parking attendant from the garage where we worked the car theft ring.

“Man, I can’t fucking do this. You guys are gonna fucking get me killed, man, what the hell was I thinking, I got a baby on the way, man.”

“Calm down, Kenny, we’ll be there in a minute.”

“Alright man, but you’ve gotta hurry man, I’m freaked out, dude. I got a text to meet someone at a fucking warehouse on River Road but nobody’s here and now the door’s blocked from the outside and I can’t get out. Somebody’s fucking with me and I know it’s because I talked to you assholes!”

“Hang tight, man, we’ll be there in five.”

I end the call and look over at my gorgeous girl. She damn near makes me question my career choice, lying there looking so luscious and fuckable. “Babe, I’m gonna have to head out. Hey, you should come with me,” I tell her as I throw on jeans, a t-shirt and a jacket. Windy slips into a thong and the t-shirt I wore today.

She had to choose a thong. Seriously, fucking hell.

“Uh-uh,” she groans, already half asleep as she dives back in bed, hugging the pillow.

“Baby, don’t fight me on this, I don’t like this shit--” I start to tell her, only to be interrupted by a text from Cash, wondering about my ETA, and a text from Harley about wanting to discuss his computer scan findings with me as soon as possible. “Fuck…” I mutter. There is too much going on, goddamn it.

“Might I remind you,” Windy says sleepily as she eyes me from her pillow, “that I am protected by a space-age security system that was installed by only the most technologically advanced, hottest men the world has ever known. If anyone tries to get in here, I have no doubt they will be incinerated on the spot by a laser beam from a satellite owned and operated by
Undercover Elite
. And, let’s not forget, I have a guard dog.”

Wonder jumps up on the bed and curls up beside her. As much as I don’t like the idea of leaving Windy alone for even five minutes, what she’s saying is true and I’ve gotta have faith in the steps we’ve taken to protect her. So, with my gut twisted in a knot, I give Windy a kiss and cover her with a blanket, and give Wonder firm instructions to look after my girl. She shuffles closer to Windy and wags her tail.
I guess that’s my cue to go.

“I’ll be back before you know it, and I’ll arm the security system on my way out. I love you.”

I know she’s already well on her way to being asleep when all I get out of her is a grunt. I scratch behind Wonder’s ears and text Harley that I’m picking him up. I learned a long time ago not to go to any meetings with a client alone; you never know when it could be a set up and I can’t take any chances with everything we have going on. I quietly make my way out the door and set the alarm on the panel by the front door and, just to be on the safe side, I also set the “panic room” wireless silent alarm that Harley installed yesterday. It may not be ‘Space Age’ stuff, but it’s not too far off. I close the door behind me, my hand lingering on the handle for a second or two before I shake my head and walk the short distance to my car. I really hate this shit.