His to Protect (6 page)

Charlotte’s voice pulled his attention away. “If you trust him, I trust…” She trailed off, her face paling even more as she focused on something across the street. “That’s him, that’s the guy who was with the blond man who stabbed that poor man in the alley.” She wrapped her arms around her middle as she started to shake.

A dark-haired man wearing jeans and a bomber jacket was talking to a uniformed officer who had been speaking to one of the people who’d witnessed Charlotte screaming and running for her life. Kell wrapped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her tight. She instantly leaned in to him, her shaking worsening.

“That fucker,” Carlson cursed. “You’re absolutely sure that’s him?”

“He was two feet away from me. I’m sure,” she rasped out, her voice trembling. Hell, no wonder. Kell was just impressed she’d managed to keep it together so long. Her smart thinking had saved her and Reece.

As if he knew he was being talked about, the man looked over at them. He made eye contact with Charlotte, his expression deadly. That was when Carlson took off at a full run across the street. The cops had completely sectioned off this block so the road was clear.

The man’s gaze widened for a brief moment before he turned and sprinted in the other direction. He cut through the park disappearing behind a cluster of trees, but Carlson was gaining speed. The man moved like a trained runner.

“Holy crap,” Charlotte murmured.

A few of the other officers were looking around in confusion at first. The uniformed woman who’d spoken to Charlotte earlier was the first to join in the pursuit, but other officers quickly followed.

“What are we supposed to do?” she asked.

Harrison answered before Kell could. “Just wait.” They both turned to look at him and he continued. “Carlson will catch him and if he doesn’t, that guy will be found soon. He wouldn’t have run if he wasn’t guilty. Probably didn’t realize there was a witness until he showed up. My guess is after him and his partner murdered the man in the alley, they went dark.” He shrugged as he spoke. “Don’t worry. Miami PD won’t put up with dirty cops. Whoever he is, he’s going down.”

Kell figured Harrison was right about the two men going dark. After killing someone, they wouldn’t want any communication for a while. Not until the heat blew over. But there was still someone else out there. Someone else who’d seen Charlotte’s face and had been close enough to harm Reece. Their innocent son. As if he read his expression and need to keep Reece close, Harrison handed him to Kell then motioned for Charlotte to sit back down. She practically collapsed on the bench, but instantly held out her arms for Reece. Though Kell wanted to hold his son he also understood her need. Handing him to her, Kell sat next to them and put an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. He couldn’t believe any of this was happening, but he was damn glad to be in their lives. No matter what happened, he would protect his own.

* * * * *

“The dead guy is part of a Mexican
cartel?
” Charlotte kept repeating everything Kell was relaying to her in question form but she couldn’t stop it. Life had just gotten a whole lot scarier.

“No, he has an
association
with them,” he said quietly. He sat on the opposite end of his couch, giving her a little distance as she tried to digest everything. She hadn’t had to ask either; he seemed to read her very well and understood her need for space. After spending hours at the police station they were back at Kell’s and Reece was sound asleep. Harrison had been calling with updates and Kell had just hung up with him only to give her more horrific news.

“What does that mean?”

“He’s either done low level work for them or he’s related either by blood or through business to someone in the cartel. Either way, this makes his killer a target, not you.”

“How do we know the blond man who killed him isn’t part of the cartel?” The thought made her entire body turn cold in fear.

“Carlson doesn’t think he is. Your description and sketch match someone the guys from vice have been watching and
that
guy is in bed with one of their competitors.”

They’d wanted her to look at pictures of criminals but Reece had been fussy and she’d been ready to get the hell out of there after talking to the sketch artist. Clearly they’d matched her picture up with someone. “So they’ve found him?”

Kell shook his head, his expression dark. “No, he’s fallen off the face of the earth.”

“What’s his name?” She knew it wouldn’t matter, but she wanted to put a name with that terrifying face. The one that had promised her certain death.

“His real name is Cecil Talley but apparently his street name is Ice Man.”

Despite the entire horrific situation, Charlotte laughed under her breath at how stupid that sounded. Before she could ask another question, Kell answered one she’d been wondering about.

“And he’s had suspected dealings with Reed West.” The cop she’d seen that afternoon.

“So they killed someone with an ‘association’ with a freaking cartel and West isn’t talking,” she muttered to herself. Just great. Reed West was refusing to talk until he had a lawyer present and his lawyer wouldn’t be in town until early tomorrow morning.

Even though there was nothing she could do about it, she felt as if she was in a state of limbo wondering and waiting what would happen next. If this thing ever went to trial she would have to testify and that brought on a whole other mess of fears.

“Come here.” Kell’s voice was low as he held out an arm.

Charlotte wanted to resist but right now she didn’t have it in her as she scooted down and laid her head on his shoulder. It had been a long day and Kell had been there for her every step of the way, bringing in men he trusted, taking care of Reece when she couldn’t. The man was a rock. She’d been on her own for what felt like forever and she was just getting the hang of this motherhood thing. She didn’t want to get used to leaning on anyone if it wasn’t going to last.

Not even Kell, who was not only walking, talking sex appeal, but a damn fine man. He’d totally stepped up when she told him about Reece, not even questioning his paternity. That meant more to her than she could ever express. But if she got used to all this support it would be that much harder to move out on her own in a few months.

His hold around her shoulders tightened as he placed his chin on top of her head. She inhaled, breathing in that masculine scent of his that had always driven her a little wild. Sliding a hand over his chest and around him, she savored the feel of all that hard muscle. It was hard not to remember what he’d looked like naked as he’d taken her hard and fast up against the hallway wall on the way to her bedroom a year ago. Then he’d taken her gentle and slow when they’d finally made it to her bed.

“You hungry?” he murmured.

Not for food. The thought took her by surprise, but it was true. The longer she was around him, the more that insistent attraction between them flared brighter. She should be too worried about the crisis hanging over her head to focus on anything else, but with Kell so near it was easy to let him distract her. She shook her head. “No.”

The television was off, but he’d turned music on low earlier when she’d been giving Reece a bath. He’d even lit a few candles, which she didn’t want to find sweet, but damn it, the man was getting under her skin. There was a dim lamp on in the corner of his living room. The atmosphere could be sensual if she let it. She hated that she wanted to. Instead of enjoying his embrace and thinking about what it would be like to have a repeat of that kiss yesterday, she should be heading to her room. “Thanks for being so supportive today,” she finally murmured, feeling the need to say something.

He snorted softly. “You don’t ever have to thank me for that.”

“I know, it’s just…I’d forgotten what that was like.” When she’d first married Andrew things had been great between them. Hindsight was always easy, but she’d gotten married way too young. Now it was so clear to her. At twenty she hadn’t even figured out who she was and what she wanted out of life. But she’d been smitten with the sexy FBI agent six years older than her. He’d been incredibly focused, loving, and now she realized that he’d loved how much she’d looked up to him. The first couple years of their marriage she’d been finishing up with college and their marriage had been easy. Once she’d started teaching full time, getting settled into her career and basically growing up a little more, the fractures in their marriage had started. Slowly at first, but now she could see how they’d both pulled away from each other. She hadn’t needed him as much and he’d started to resent it.

Kell went impossibly still for a moment, then shifted against the couch. “How long were you guys having problems before he died?”

Surprised he’d asked, she said, “A few years.” Sad considering they’d only been married for five before he died.

“I’m sorry.” His quiet spoken words were sincere.

“Thanks. He wasn’t a bad guy, even with the cheating. We just grew apart and for that, I’m sad, but I fell out of love with him years ago.” The thought of leaving, of admitting that her marriage was a failure had been the most terrifying thing of all. No one in her family divorced. Now she wished she’d been braver, but if she had been, it was possible she might not have Reece. Who knew what path her life could have taken?

Kell grunted. “Cheating on you makes him a dick in my opinion.”

Smiling at the annoyance in his voice, she looked up at Kell and into those pale, mesmerizing eyes. “I’m not making excuses for him, just stating a fact.”

He didn’t respond, but his gaze trailed to her lips with an intense focus before his eyes met hers. She could see what he wanted because she wanted the same thing. Leaning into a kiss would be so easy and after the day she’d had, she didn’t want to be a coward and pull back from this. Before she could contemplate the ramifications of kissing him, he closed the short distance between them.

Unlike the intense kiss against her car yesterday, this one was soft and gentle. One of his hands slid into her hair as he cupped the back of her head. While the kiss was unhurried, his hold was firm, as if he was afraid she might bolt at any second. The thought crossed her mind but as his tongue swept against hers in erotic little strokes, she knew she wasn’t walking away from this. Not now.

When he groaned into her mouth, she pulled back a fraction. He let out a frustrated sound until he realized what she was doing. Moving quickly, she straddled him. She wasn’t ready to take things to a level beyond kissing at the moment, but she wanted to feel his body against hers. And feel it she did. He let out a strangled sound as she slid over his erection and settled in place. “Kissing only right now.” She needed to let him know where she was emotionally.

Kell’s smile was slow and seductive. “I could kiss you all night,” he whispered back.

She was already growing damp and her nipples had tightened to hard points as she slid farther down his hard length. While she might not be ready for anything else tonight, she savored the feel of him, remembering how he’d felt as he’d pumped into her slick body over and over. They’d had sex so many times, that night was branded into her mind.

As she leaned toward his mouth, the sound of breaking glass and a car alarm blaring made them both freeze. The sound was too close to be anything other than her car, especially since his vehicle was in the garage. Before she could blink, he shifted her off him and withdrew a gun from behind his back.

Her eyes widened in shock. She knew he had multiple weapons in the house, but she hadn’t realized he was carrying one on his person. “Go check on Reece.” His softly spoken words were an order.

Normally that tone would irritate her, but they both wanted their son safe. Forcing down the panic rising inside her, she hurried to her son’s room. Once she found him quietly sleeping, she allowed a sliver of relief to slide into her veins, but not much more. She tried to remain calm and unhurried as she gently lifted him from his bassinet. If they had to run, she wanted to be ready to leave.

When Kell found her minutes later, his expression was grim. “Your tires have been slashed and one of your windows broken. I’ve called the police and Harrison. I’d already asked him to have someone watch our place for the night, but they weren’t supposed to show up until later. He’s sending someone now.”

Any relief she’d had evaporated. She looked at her sleeping son, then Kell and tried to quell the nervous tremor in her voice. “Do you think this has anything to do with today?”

He frowned, his pale eyes seeming to grow darker. “It’s a real possibility.”

Chapter 7

Kell shut the door behind the police officers. They’d been cordial, but there was very little they could do other than take a report at this point. Slashed tires and a broken window didn’t exactly scream cartel attack—they favored burning tires thrown on the front lawn or bullets through the home as a warning. And it didn’t seem like something that murdering bastard Cecil Talley would do either. He’d heard more from Carlson and according to him, Talley was suspected of half a dozen murders—all of them committed with a blade. He wasn’t known for intimidation tactics, he just killed without any fanfare. Not to mention Kell couldn’t see how anyone could have figured out where Charlotte was staying because she hadn’t listed his address on her police report and he’d made damn sure they weren’t followed home.