With a quick kiss to her shoulder, promising himself he’d be back beneath the sheets before she even woke up, Xavier left the warmth of her bed and padded out into the hallway.
He swiped the phone from the top of the couch, pressed the answer button and muttered in an irritated voice, “Yeah.”
“Shit, X.” Captain’s laughter rang out on the other end. “Wrong side of the bed?”
Right side. Perfect side. “What’s going on, Cap?”
“I have something for you. Got your computer open?”
Rounding the couch, Xavier had both computers open, and his cell on speaker before he even sat down. “Go.”
“Tracked down the store that sold the camera,” Captain said, his voice booming through the speaker Xavier had attached to one of the computers.
Xavier could hear the male working the keyboard hard and fast. “With the serial number?”
“Yep.”
“Show me.”
Instantly, both the camera shop website and a copy of the receipt popped up on his screen. Xavier enhanced it while Captain explained, “This place stores their records digitally, which is a space saver, but there was a weakness in their backup files I used my genius to exploit.”
Xavier snorted at the male’s smugness. “No address?” he asked, his fingers moving over the keyboard a mile a minute.
“Whoever bought it paid in cash and in person.”
“Fuck me.”
“No, no, bro. Here’s the part you’re going to love.” His puma grin was practically audible. “Maybe it’ll even pull you out of the shit-tastic mood you’re in.”
“Doubt it.” He forced his mind to focus. Not on the bed and the warm, wet naked female within it, but on his work.
“Our camera owner emailed the store,” Captain told him proudly.
“No shit.”
“A service problem. Seems the camera’s battery life wasn’t as long as promised.”
This was good. Damned good. He’d been hoping, but so far the leads had gone dead. Could their target have actually left a digital fingerprint for them? “You trace it?”
“Yeah. No luck yet. The trail keeps bouncing all over the globe. Whoever we’re dealing with has definitely got an encrypted router on his PC—or whatever computer he or she is using.”
Xavier grinned as the email address popped up on his screen. “Could we possibly be dealing with a techie here?”
“I don’t know. But either way, this is your department now. No one cracks code like you, mon ami. It’s fucking art.”
“Thanks, brother. Soon as I get a location I’m going to check it out in person, see if this human can lead us to Chayton. I’ll be on the cell if you guys need me.”
Captain paused, then sniffed. “Tracking offline and on foot? Isn’t that a Hunter’s job?”
“Why, yes, it is,” came a female voice behind him.
Xavier whirled around, growled at the intruder. The very sexy, nearly naked, intruder. She was standing in the doorway of her bedroom, wearing only a tank top that barely covered her shaved mound. Blood surged into his dick, and even though his fellow Geek couldn’t see shit through his phone, Xavier felt possessive ire barrel through him.
“Gotta go, Cap,” he muttered to the male. “I’ll be in touch.”
Xavier didn’t even wait for the male to reply, just hit the off button and stood. “You should’ve stayed in bed.”
“Why? Were you planning on coming back?”
“Hell, yes.”
As her mouth curved into a wicked grin, her gaze drifted down his body, lingering on the thick erection pressing against his lower abdomen. “Too bad we have to go. Get to work.”
The word we wasn’t lost on Xavier, and he shook his head. “Not happening, Beautiful.”
She leaned against the door, the action causing the edges of her tank to lift, giving him an unobstructed view of her glorious pussy.
His mouth watered. God, he wanted to taste her again. Spread her thighs and send his tongue up inside her slick, hot channel until she screamed.
But that spot in hell beside Shakpi was growing closer by the second.
“I’m one of the best trackers in the Wildlands, Xavier,” she said, her eyes searching his now.
“I’m going outside of the Wildlands, Amalie,” he countered.
Her kitty cat grin widened. “Perfect. We could use a break.”
“From the Pantera or from each other?”
“I’ll leave that answer to you.” She crossed her arms, grabbed the edges of her tank and pulled it over her head. Naked, her nipples hardening, her eyes still pinned to him, she tossed the white strip of fabric at him. “You could always leave me here. Alone.” She laughed softly. “Or not.”
Come leaked from the head of his dick, and a growl escaped his throat. “You play dirty.”
“Oh, Xavier,” she purred, “you have no idea.”
She would be the death of him. Or maybe the life. He wasn’t sure which option worried him more. But either way, it wasn’t going to get examined in that moment. He was too worked up, and she was too tempting.
“Fine,” he ground out. “Put on some goddamn clothes before I fuck you against that door.”
“Promises, promises,” she called as she turned around and strode back into her room.
Her arms wrapped around Xavier’s waist, she reveled in the feel of his back against her chest and the motorcycle’s engine between her legs. It wasn’t as hot as riding on his puma, but it was pretty damn close.
Getting dressed and leaving the house, and the Wildlands, had taken supreme effort on both of their parts. But the reminder of why they needed to go on this mission, search out any clues to Chayton’s whereabouts—find the human male before their enemies did—had sobered their desire.
The heat of the day grew thicker as they drew closer to Lafayette. Insects hit the plastic visors of their helmets, and Mal wished she’d worn something lighter than a black leather jacket over her blue tank. Xavier’s friend had tracked the IP address to two possible locations. A coffee shop in Lafayette and a cabin in the swamps. They’d gone to the coffee shop first. The owner had been friendly enough, but hadn’t given them anything major to go on. Seemed folks with laptops were in and out of the shop all day long. The human male explained that he recognized some of them, didn’t know others, but he rarely got intimate enough with anyone to glean personal information.
Now, as the day started to wane into late afternoon, they were headed for the cabin.
“Wrap your arms tighter around me, Amalie,” Xavier called back to her as he took a curve with practiced skill.
“I’m not going to fall off,” she shouted.
“Who said anything about you falling off?” He took one hand off the bars and used it to press her arms closer. “I just like the feel of you.”
She grinned and rubbed her chin against his shoulder. Fantasy or reality. For three days or one. It just didn’t matter. She’d never felt so happy. “I won’t forget you said that,” she called to him.
He growled back, “Good.”
After another stretch of curves, one hill and a bumpy-ass bridge, Xavier finally slowed and pulled onto a road marked, ‘Swamp Estates. Private Property.’ As they kicked up crazy amounts of dust on the dirt pathway, Amalie couldn’t help laughing.
“What’s so funny?” Xavier asked as they entered a small parking lot and slid into one of many empty spots.