“Right,” Shane said. “And they used him to get to Elena.”
Max nodded. “Unfortunately. They wanted a way to get into S&D, and they were willing to use the brother to get it.”
“Bastards,” Shane muttered. “And do we know how Alesandro got sucked into a life of crime?”
“Apparently through someone else who worked at the car agency.”
“And you talked to the guy?”
“No. He’s dead,” Jack said in a flat voice.
“Jesus. How?”
“Hit and run accident.”
“That’s not the most reliable way to kill someone.”
“In this case, it worked.”
“And there’s no lead on the driver.”
“Of course not.”
“Are we going to tell any of this to Lincoln Kinkead?” Jack asked.
“Not now. Maybe not at all,” Shane answered.
“Why not?”
“Because none of that is going to change anything with him. He’s not going to be happy unless we bring him that information that was stolen from S&D.”
“And if we can’t?” Max asked.
Shane turned to him and reflexively lowered his voice. “It’s at the safe house on the Eastern Shore. We can’t go back and get it until Mr. Big is taken out.”
“Mr. Big?” Jack asked.
“The guy who’s running the show. We do need a name for him.”
“How about Mr. Big Ass?” Max asked.
Shane laughed. “I can think of a couple of better ones, but let’s keep it clean since we’ll need to talk about him in front of Elena. Mr. Big will do.”
They discussed the other leads Jack and Max had tried to follow, but in the end Shane had to agree with his two friends. Everything led to a dead end.
“So what about Elena’s suggestion?” Max asked.
Shane dragged in a breath and let it out. “If we can keep her safe.”
“We’ll do our damnedest,” Max said. “Which means we need to go out and get some equipment.”
Shane nodded.
His two partners exited the suite.
When the main door had closed, the door to the bedroom opened and Elena peered out.
“Did someone come in?” she asked, looking around the living room.
“Max and Jack went out to get the equipment we’re going to need.”
“Then you agree to my plan?”
“I don’t like it, but I don’t see an alternative.”
“Okay.”
He walked toward the doorway where she stood, and she backed up. He kept walking forward into the room, then closed the door behind him.
She gave him a questioning look.
“I don’t like it,” he said.
“I don’t honestly like it either, but I’m not going to leave my brother in the hands of men who have been torturing him. I mean, they haven’t heard from us in days. There’s no telling what they’ve done to him.”
“Don’t think about that now.”
“What should I think about?”
He took a step forward and pulled her close, wrapping her in his embrace. “Think about the two of us.”
He felt a shiver go through her. “What are you saying, exactly?”
“That I want you in my life. I never thought I’d say that to any woman again, but it’s true.”
“Gracias a Dios,” she whispered.
“And now…” He couldn’t finish the sentence.
“And now you’re going to do everything you can to protect me.”
“It might not be enough.”
“I’m the one making the decision that I have to go. Because if Alesandro dies and I could have done something about it, then I couldn’t live with myself.”
“I know. That’s why I’m agreeing.”
“Thank you,” she whispered.
“But I want you to know exactly how I feel about you, so you won’t take any crazy chances.”
As he spoke, he slid his hands up and down her back, touching her with a need he hadn’t felt before. She had aroused so many emotions in him that he hardly knew what to do with them.
Well, he knew, but he couldn’t put them into words, only into physical terms.
“Shane.”
He didn’t ask what she was feeling. But when she raised her face to his, he thought he saw it in her eyes. Did he see desperation mixed with desire? Determination mixed with just a touch of uncertainty. Not about what they were doing now, he told himself. Or he hoped that wasn’t true.
As she stared up at him, he brought his mouth down to hers.
It was like before when they’d kissed, when they’d held each other. He felt a jolt of heat, a desire that threatened to overwhelm rational thought. And perhaps for the moment that was all right.
Maybe he needed to wipe out the worry about her. At least for now. As his lips touched hers, he began to move them with a desperation that surprised him.
He lifted his head, looking toward the bed. She’d been lying down at some point because the spread was pulled down.
Good.
He started to scoop her up in his arms, then thought better of it. Not when he was still healing from a gunshot wound. Not when he had to be in the best shape possible when she went off on her insane mission.
He scrubbed that thought. No use thinking about the mission or what it might mean. He wanted to be with her now, and he wanted to show her what he felt for her.
He walked her backwards toward the bed, where she stopped when the edge of the mattress hit her legs. Her shoes were already off. He scuffed out of his and took her down to the horizontal surface, stretching out beside her and gathering her close. He saw her close her eyes as she clung to him, and he did the same for a moment, wanting her to be the only part of his reality that mattered.
It flitted through his mind that perhaps he could make her reconsider what she’d suggested. He pushed that away, knowing that if the situation were reversed, it would do more harm than good.
Instead he stroked his hand over her back, then pulled her blouse from the waistband of her slacks and slipped inside, flattening his palm against her warm skin, loving the feel of her.
When he shifted away, he saw her eyes fly open. He only smiled at her as he pulled his knit shirt over his head and tossed it onto the floor beside the bed.
Then he bent over her again and slowly began to undo the buttons at the front of her blouse.
She kept her gaze on him, watching his face as he opened the buttons one by one, revealing olive skin and a lacy bra. Something that she’d picked up at the safe house. And worn for him, he had to assume.
He could see her nipples sticking up against the cups of the bra, and he reached to touch one, circling it with his middle finger and watching the peak contract more.
She caught her breath, then caught it again as he reached to unfasten the front clasp of the bra. Pushing the cups aside, he admired her breasts with their dark pink tips.
“So lovely,” he whispered, then bent to swirl his tongue around one distended tip before sucking it into his mouth.
He continued to suck on her while he used his thumb and finger on the other side, tugging and twisting. She writhed on the bed, as small sounds came from her throat.
“Shane, ah Dios, Shane,” she called out.
He lifted his head, smiling down at her as he slowly undid the button at the top of her slacks, then lowered the zipper, spreading the fly as he’d spread her shirt.
Again he kept his gaze on her as he slipped his hand inside, reaching into her panties and downward into her most intimate flesh, finding her hot and slick for him.
He stroked her neck, feeling her pulse accelerating and shivers racing over her skin, then bent to nibble and suck at her throat while he kept one hand on her breast and the other inside her panties.
He felt his lips curve into a smile before he brought his mouth back to hers for long thirsty kisses, drinking in the wonderful taste of her.