A Reason to Believe (25 page)

just a moment.”

“Where is it now?” Matt asked, stepping

forward.

“The bell captain has it. As I understand it, the

item in question was actually in the suite. We

assumed it was left behind at check out.”

“It’s okay,” Kiernan said under his breath,

reaching out and touching Matt’s tense arm. “It’s

possible. She packed in a hurry.”

Matt doubted that. He’d watched Aidan over the

few days he’d known them, and he didn’t believe

something important enough for the hotel to call

about had been overlooked when packing. She was

too thorough, too detail-oriented to leave items

behind. He waited, fighting the impulse to fidget,

as Kiernan leaned casually against the counter and

watched him with thinly veiled amusement.

A man in bellman’s livery approached, an

envelope in his hand. He handed it to Kiernan with

a courteous nod, but Matt’s eyes were fixed on the

hotel

stationery,

with

the

name
Kiernan

Fitzpatrick
and
Important
printed neatly across

the face.

Kiernan thanked the woman behind the desk and

slipped the envelope into his pocket, heading

toward the doors.

“Aren’t you going to open it?” Matt asked.

“Not with her watching me, no.”

Once in the car, they exchanged a glance before

Kiernan pulled out a sheet of stationery and

unfolded it casually. From his seat Matt could see

a single sentence, written in the same careful hand

as Kiernan’s name on the front.

He knew instantly that something was wrong

when the color drained from Kiernan’s face.

“Let me see it,” Matt said, reaching for it.

Kiernan shot him an arch look. “What if it’s

personal, Matthew?”

“Is it?”

Kiernan looked away, fumbling to return the

paper to the envelope, his hand trembling. When he

didn’t answer, Matt caught his arm.

“Let me see it.” Kiernan sighed, then put the

envelope in Matt’s hand, turning his face away.

Matt wasn’t nearly as careful removing the note

as Kiernan had been. He yanked it free of the

envelope and unfolded it quickly, his eyes

scanning what was written.

In neat block printing were five words.

NEXT TIME I WON’T MISS.

Chapter Eleven

“Well, now we’ve handled it, they won’t be able

to get any clear prints off of the note,” Matt

growled as he navigated the streets back to his

house. He’d been seething with anger for most of

the drive, but now that he was nearing his house it

finally spilled over into words. “I should have

gone back in and demanded to see the footage from

the security cameras. Goddamn it.” He brought his

fist down hard on the steering wheel.

Kiernan continued to look out the passenger’s

window silently, his neck and shoulders tense.

“I’m going about this all wrong. I should have

called it in last night. Then at least someone would

be on it already. There would have been

surveillance on the hotel, and a security detail on

you. I’m taking too many fucking chances with your

safety.” Matt pulled the Bronco sharply into his

driveway, jerking to a halt and cutting the engine

with a sharp flick of his wrist. “Well, it stops right

now.” Climbing out of the car, he slammed the

door and stalked to the house, Kiernan following

behind him more slowly. He unlocked the door and

went into his kitchen, yanking off his jacket before

reaching for the phone on the wall.

“Stop.”

He paused with his hand on the receiver.

Kiernan was standing in the middle of the kitchen,

a resolved expression on his face.

“No.” Matt lifted the receiver.

“Damn it, stop.” Kiernan took a step forward

and grabbed his arm.

“I’ve got six inches and fully fifty pounds on

you. You cannot physically stop me.”

“We’ve already established you won’t hurt me.

So, unless you plan to change that, I’m not letting

go. I’m not going to let you destroy your career.”

“I won’t be destroying anything,” Matt shot

back.

“Bullshit,” Kiernan snapped. “You call this in,

and they’re going to know we’ve been messing in

things you were specifically told to leave alone.

How do you explain it? Do you want to lose your

job?”

“For Christ’s sakes. Someone tried to kill you.

Last night they shot at you, today they got into a

suite where you were staying!”

“After I checked out. Which either makes them

woefully misinformed or just plain stupid.”

Matt ground his teeth. “They were sending a

message. They were letting us know they can get to

you, even in a four-star hotel.”

“Well, they fucked up, huh? Because they didn’t

get to me. I wasn’t there.” He released Matt’s arm

but remained close. “I was here. Something they

clearly didn’t know. Hang up the goddamned

phone.”

Matt studied Kiernan’s resolute expression and

felt some of the fight drain out of him. He put the

receiver back on the wall. “If we call this in, there

are tools the department has I don’t. They can

check the tapes and see who went into the suite,

they can dust the envelope for prints. If whoever is

behind this is a pro—”

“If whoever is behind this is a pro, they’ll be so

heavily disguised on the tape they’ll be

unrecognizable, and they’ll have handled the note

and envelope with gloves. The only prints anyone

will find will be ours. I won’t let you risk losing

your badge over this. You’re already in trouble

with that captain of yours. He’s just looking for an

excuse.”

Matt exhaled in exasperation and walked into

the living room, dropping heavily onto the couch.

Kiernan followed and sat beside him.

“Everything in me is screaming this is the wrong

way to handle this.” Matt leaned forward and

rubbed his hands over his face. “You’ve been shot

at, now you’ve been threatened. And I’ve done

nothing.”

Kiernan made an incredulous sound. “What do

you mean, you’ve done nothing? For Christ’s

sakes, last night you put your body between mine

and a bullet. If I were worried for even a moment

about my safety, I’d tell you to call it in. But I’m

not. And clearly, we must be on to something, or

whoever this is wouldn’t be so desperate.”

“But on to what? We have no fucking idea.”

“They don’t know that.”

“This isn’t a game,” Matt said, his voice tight.

“Those were real bullets last night, and the note

contains a very real threat.”

“I’m not worried,” Kiernan repeated, an

expression of unconcern on his handsome face.

“They can threaten all they like. You won’t let

them near me.”

Matt’s mouth fell open at the unwavering trust

inherent in the statement. “I’m not infallible.”

Kiernan made an exasperated sound and got to

his feet, pushed Matt’s arms aside and smoothly

straddled his lap. Matt drew back, startled at the

unexpectedness of it. Kiernan lowered himself to

sit on his thighs, tilted his jaw up and their eyes

met and held.

“Kier, for God’s sake…”

Kiernan’s full lips curved in a soft smile. “I like

hearing ‘Kier’ coming from you,” he whispered,

his thumbs stroking Matt’s cheekbones. “Listen to

me. Give yourself some credit, will you? You had

my back last night. Literally. I know you aren’t

infallible, none of us are. But I trust you.”

When Matt’s mouth tightened. Kiernan sighed,

sliding his hands to Matt’s neck.

“I know a lot of what’s happened the last few

days has seemed like something straight out of
The

Twilight Zone
, and I understand. Being around me

takes weird to a whole new level.”

Matt couldn’t stop the wry sound of accord that

came from his throat.

Kiernan’s smile ripened. “You didn’t need to

agree quite so quickly. And even though we don’t

know who we’re dealing with yet, I do know if

you go to your department with this right now,

Branson is going to use it as an excuse to get rid of

you.” Matt opened his mouth to reply, but Kiernan

shook his head emphatically. “I know you don’t

care, but I do. We can figure it out. Whoever is

behind the note, we’ve clearly got them rattled.”

“Them being rattled is what I’m afraid of.

Desperate people aren’t rational. And frightened

people are more likely to act impulsively, not

less.”

Kiernan’s answer was a slow, lopsided grin. He

stroked the side of Matt’s throat with his thumb,

unerringly finding a sensitive spot. Matt felt an

almost immediate appreciative stirring between

his legs.

“They’re also more likely to make mistakes,

right?”

Matt acknowledged the truth of the statement

with a tight nod.

Kiernan’s finger, stroking lightly over the

sensitive skin, made gooseflesh rise on his arms.

“Then all we have to do is wait for them to make

one.”

Matt sighed. “You’re insane,” he muttered,

capitulating. “All right, we’ll do this your way.

For now. But one more thing happens, one more

fucking thing, and I don’t care what you say, I’m

calling in reinforcements.”

“Deal.”

They stared at each other and, slowly, Kiernan’s

smile widened and his eyes heated. He scooted

along Matt’s thighs, bringing his body closer.

“You know, when I sat here, I really was just

trying to get your attention.” He eased forward the

last few inches, until his groin was pressed against

Matt’s. “Have I got it?”

Matt’s body had been aware of the proximity of

Kiernan’s from the moment he’d touched his throat.

But now they were pressed together, and his cock

took an even more avid interest in the proceedings.

“Does it feel like it?”

Kiernan tipped his pelvis forward and made a

satisfied sound when he felt Matt’s hardness. He

closed his eyes and let his head drop back on a

soft sigh. “It feels lovely.” He lifted his head and

slid his hands around Matt’s neck.

“I know you’re just trying to distract me.”

Matt’s eyes dropped to Kiernan’s lips.

“Is it working?” He circled his hips in a slow

motion that stole the breath from Matt’s lungs.

Matt’s hand moved instinctively to Kiernan’s

ass. His fingers pressed into the taut flesh and he

pulled him in snug.

Kiernan closed his eyes on a sigh. “I’ll take that

as a yes.”

Matt lifted his other hand around Kiernan’s

neck, angling his face closer. “It’s a yes,” he

muttered, his voice rough. He kissed away the

maddening smile.

Caution flew out the window, and Matt’s lips

parted, his tongue slipping between straight white

teeth to fill a welcoming mouth. In response,

Kiernan stroked Matt’s tongue with his. The

knowledge that there was no one to walk in and

interrupt them filled Matt with a swift rush of

hunger. He held Kiernan fused against him and

thrust up, feeling a tremor race through the smaller

body.

Kiernan broke the kiss, his fingers digging in to

the solid muscles on either side of Matt’s neck.

“God.” He arched his back as Matt moved against

his erection.

Matt was aroused, swiftly and completely, on a

level he couldn’t remember being in a very long

time. He surged up, catching Kiernan around the

waist and turning, pressing him down onto his back

and using his weight to push him into the sofa.

“Oh, yes,” Kiernan gasped, spreading his legs.

Matt settled between.

Matt kissed him again. Kiernan’s legs tightened

around his waist, and he thrust up hard. His fingers

slipped into Matt’s hair and pulled, and the sting

caused a flash of heat that surged straight into

Matt’s cock. He pinned Kiernan’s wrists to the

cushion above his head, lifting his upper body to

stare down into eyes both wide and opaque with

desire. Shifting enough to align the bulges in their

trousers, he rolled his hips, and Kiernan’s mouth

dropped open on a startled cry.

“Yes?” Matt’s voice was harsh.