Chapter 18

Placing the blouse on the counter, Alec waited for the clerk to ring it in. Her phone vibrated in her back pocket, checking the screen, she saw it was Ian’s number and answered it. “I haven’t hurt your car if that’s what you’re worried about.”

There was a short pause. “I didn’t even think that.”

“Oh. What’s going on?” She took the change and stuffed it in her pocket and then picked up the bag and headed out of the store.

“I flaked for about a half hour and then realized you were out there by yourself.”

Grinning, Alec walked toward his car. “I’ve been able to cross the street by myself since I was six.”

“That’s not what I mean. We all agreed you were lying low and then I send you out there by yourself.”

Opening the car, she tossed the bag into the passenger’s seat and then climbed in. “Ian. I’m not going to hide...”

“I’m not saying you should hide but being out by yourself isn’t a great idea.”

Alec shrugged off the feelings of being annoyed. He did have a point, even if he was going a little over with it. The people they were going for didn’t play well with others at all. She sighed and started the car. “So, what do you want me to do?”

There was another pause. “Come back here and we’ll work on the information we have so far. I can call Brent and see if Jac has dug anything else up.”

“I was going to go to the station...”

“No, the less chance Bill has of seeing you right now, the better it is. If the Captain has told him you’re working on something for him, then don’t push it.”

Pulling out of the parking space, she grinned. “Better for him or me?”

“His health will be better if you don’t see him, but that’s not what I meant.”

Turning down the street, she rolled her eyes at no one. “All right, I’ll be there in twenty.”

“Just use my key to get in. Unit eight-ten.”

Pulling the shirt over his head, he stepped out into the living room. Alec must have arrived when he was in the shower. She stood staring at the wall he’d been mapping out.

“Do you always write on your wall?” She didn’t look away from it.

Moving over he stood beside her. “I painted it so it could be a giant marker board.”

“Why?” She turned and looked up at him, her eyes sliding briefly over his wet hair.

“I don’t leave paper trails, so I puzzle things out on the wall. When the job is done, I just erase it.” He watched her bite her lip as she thought it over and studied the wall again. Before he followed his desires and leaned over and bit it as well, he moved back over to the desk and leaned against it. “I ordered some food from the deli down the street.” She stepped back and tucked her hands in her back pockets and looked at the tree of names he’d drawn on the wall.

“I could eat.” She pointed to the top of the diagram. “The question mark, you think there’s someone at the top that’s not Pierre?”

“I’ll know more after that charity dinner tomorrow, but my gut says Cardiel is just the bankroll that likes to pretend he’s in charge. I think there’s someone above him that’s making all the decisions.”

Nodding, she crossed her arms over her chest. “I agree. You’ve left a lot of spaces here, you think there’s more we don’t know about?”

“I think there is.” Straightening away from the table, he moved to stand behind her and looked over her shoulder at the blank spaces where names would be added. “I sent a picture to Brent, he said to keep it here. We can’t draw it out at the station.”

“A part of me wants Bill to be innocent, even though my instincts tell me differently.” She turned and looked up at him. “Do you think he’s been getting parts off before Willard?”

There was a vulnerability in her voice he didn’t like hearing. “I think he has. From what Jac found out I’d say he’s been in this a while.”

She sighed. “All of this is a bit much to take in. The hit on me was one thing but to know my partner is dirty and mixed up with all of these,” she waved a hand at the wall, “players. It’s gnawing at me.” Turning she looked up at him, her pale eyes raking over his face. “And then there’s you and what you can do...”

“I’m the good part though.”

She gave him a half smile. “For the most part.” Stepping back, she looked around the room. “That night you heard Rick’s thoughts, you could have just got up and gone home...”

Fighting the urge to grab hold of her, he tucked his hands in his pockets. “I could have. I did actually but after a night of tossing and turning, I found myself sitting outside the station to talk to Brent.’

“You took a risk.” She shrugged. “If Brent—if all of us hadn’t already been introduced to other skills with Jac and Felicity...”

“Yeah, I had a few moments of insanity, trying to figure out how to do this without having to tell anyone.”

Her eyes connected with his; there was so much she wasn’t saying. “Why did you? Decide to tell us? What happened that made you decide to risk exposing yourself?”

Running a hand through his damp hair, he studied her. “The truth?” She nodded. “When I realized how deep this mess went and you were in the middle, I had to step up.” An odd look crossed her face and for half a second he debated on trying to get inside her thoughts to find out what she was thinking. “I did it to protect you.” Moving toward her, he held her look with his own. When he stood right in front of her, he could see she how confused she was. Reaching out he traced a finger down her cheek lightly. “I did it for you, Alec. I knew the chance I was taking by telling Brent, but I couldn’t walk away when you were at risk.” A brief look of fear flashed in her eyes.

“No one’s ever...”

Brushing his finger over her lips, he stopped her from speaking. “Someday you’re going to tell me about it, what happened that makes you punish yourself...” Her eyes widened, the fear washing away any other thoughts she was having. “...but for now, I’ll just keep reminding you that I’m not him, I’m not using you and I’m the good part in all of this mess.” Cradling the back of her head in his hand, he closed the distance and brushed his mouth over hers.

He could feel her lips trembling beneath his as she grasped his wrist that held her. Her hold flexed against him, unsure if she wanted to break the contact or not. Ian didn’t need to listen to her thoughts to know she wanted this as much as she didn’t want it. Kissing her again, he fought to keep it light and all of the need he was feeling out of it. When her mouth yielded to his, he forgot the reason why he’d wanted to persuade her gently, grasping her hip, he pulled her body into his and assaulted her lips with all of the caged lust he’d been feeling since the night before.

Ian had only meant to kiss her once and then back away until her body melted into his and her hand wrapped around his neck. She fit perfectly against him, like she was meant only for him. Growling against her mouth, she responded with a quiet moan, and all rational thought was drained from his mind. Wrapping an arm around her, he lifted her into his hips and ground against her. Gasping, she tore her mouth away from his, leaning her head back and looking up at him. Doubt was mixed with the passion in her eyes it was a look he never wanted her to have when she was with him. Cupping the back of her head again, he returned his mouth to hers. Biting down on his own needs, he kissed her with a slow deep rhythm to sway her into thinking of nothing but him.

The loud noise of the door buzzer broke into the silence and forced him back to rational thought. Kissing her once more with lingering movements, he released her and stepped back slowly. “To be continued.” He said on a shaky breath.

“You’re dangerous.” She touched her mouth with her fingertips. “I’ve never been kissed the way you kiss me.”

Ian could almost physically feel his ego inflate. “Then you’ve been kissing the wrong mouths.”

“Clearly.”

The buzzing sounded again. Blowing out a breath, he motioned toward the kitchen. “Food’s here.”

***

Ian sat there, looking around the tiered room, and couldn’t shake the nagging feeling that this was wrong in too many ways. Rick Pelts was due to be here at some point and Alec was sitting next to him. Leaning closer, he kept his voice low. “Explain to me why you’re here when Pelts is after you.”

Smiling, she didn’t look away from the doors. “Maybe he’ll forget the reason he’s here and go for me.”

“In what reality is that a good thing?”

Moving closer, so her shoulder brushed against him, she briefly looked at him. “Relax, there are four other cops present and he’d never get close enough to me.”

“I don’t like it.”

She finally turned and looked at him, anger flashing in her pretty eyes. “Look, just because there’s some sort of...” she waved a hand between their bodies, “attraction going on between us, doesn’t give you the right to suddenly make my decisions for me.”

Reaching down, he jerked the stool she sat on closer to his own bringing their faces a few inches apart. “I am not making decisions for you. If I were, you wouldn’t be here right now.” Clenching his teeth, he tried to keep his tone quiet. “Because of this attraction, I will interfere anytime you’re putting yourself at risk.” He dared her with his eyes to push him further. “Get used to it.”

Alec opened her mouth, and then closed it. “Willard’s here.”

He’d forgotten she had an earpiece in, again. Cursing the interruption, he looked around until he spotted him. “You need to turn so he can’t see your face. Regardless of why he’s here, seeing the cop that chased him through the sewers is bound to trigger panic.”

Nodding, she turned on the stool, so she was facing the wall with the big screens of the track on it. “Are we close enough?”

Ian glanced around at the number of bodies between where they sat and the corner booth Willard slid into. “No, but we’ll wait until Pelts is here before moving closer.” A quick glance told him the interrupted conversation wasn’t finished, but she nodded and moved her eyes back to the monitors once more.

Sitting in the car, Alec looked everywhere but at Ian. Her heart tripped each time she looked at him tonight. Why are you letting him get to you? So what, his kisses turn you inside out. Squeezing her eyes shut, she cringed. Inside out is a slight understatement, Blondie, he destroys you without breaking a sweat. Chancing a quick glance at his profile, she sighed under her breath and looked back out the window. It’s not just his kissing, it’s his...what? Everything? His touch, his words, even his fringes tone reeks of dominance or something...why does that get to me? It shouldn’t...

“Pretty deep thoughts.”

She snapped her head around and looked over at him. “Were you...”

He grinned. “No. I wasn’t in your head. I don’t need to be when the whole car is filled with your anxiety.”

“I just want to get to the station so you can get close to Rick and see what else is going on.” She lied.

“How long can you hold them on those charges?”

Biting her lip, she shook her head. “We caught the exchange. There was cash in one envelope and enough drugs to hold Willard indefinitely—if bail is denied. The captain is going to make sure bail is denied.” She worried about Rick walking too soon. “Did you get anything else from Rick’s head that will point us in a direction to hold him longer?

Shaking his head, he didn’t look away from the road. “Nothing that leads anywhere.” He pulled into the parking area and turned to look at her.

The long silence as he sat there started to unnerve her. “What?”

“I think after I’ve surfed both of them for a bit, you should make an appearance and see if either of them changes when you’re present.”

Would the Captain go for that? “You want to bait them and see if Pelts will blow it basically?” She liked it.

“We could get lucky. If he loses it with you, maybe he’ll say something that will let you hold him longer.”

Nodding, she smiled. “I’ll run it by the captain.” Opening the door, she paused and looked back over at him. “Are you okay doing this some more today?”

A humored light filled his eyes. “I’m touched that you care enough to ask. I’ll be fine. Listening in at the track didn’t take a lot of work. I don’t have to do it again until tomorrow at lunch with Sandy, so I should be good.”