Kansas Nights [Kansas Heat 2] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) (41 page)

“Hey”—Jack shifted up onto his elbows—“where the hell are you going?”

“To take a bath.” Kathy shot him a smile, hoping to soothe his disgruntled frown before he worked himself into another tantrum. “I’m all sticky.”

With his hair tousled and his eyes still drooping drowsily, Jack looked almost adorable. If it hadn’t been for the hard planes of his chest, he could have earned that title. Instead, though, he had to settle for looking sexy, dangerously so given the wicked intent curling his lips.

“You want some help with those hard-to-reach places?”

“The whole point is to get my legs to stop shaking,” Kathy retorted ruefully.

“After I went through all that work to make them tremble in the first place?” Jack made a face that looked more humorous and truly indignant as he sighed heavily. “I guess I’ll have to work twice as hard when you get back.”

Kathy didn’t dare make a crack about him falling asleep instead, knowing that would inspire Jack to stay awake. While she knew there was very little chance she could sneak out of the house and not have Jack find out about it eventually, it didn’t mean that she wouldn’t aim for that goal anyway.

“I’m beginning to see the wisdom of your plan to keep me well-fucked and out of the way.”

Kathy meant it teasingly, but Jack appeared to take her words way too seriously, making her wonder if she’d gone too far. She wanted him sleepy and happy, not thinking about serious things like the upended suitcase on the floor or the clothes strewn about the place.

“Given that I never start these things, I have to wonder if that’s not your plan.” Jack came too close to the truth with that comment. Feeling the window of her opportunity closing, Kathy forced her legs to stiffen and lifted up.

“Yes, well, at least I didn’t molest you in a public library.”

Kathy smiled and turned to sashay away, not bothering to reach for a robe or even a shirt off the floor. She knew he’d be checking out her ass and thinking all sorts of lewd thoughts. Dirty thoughts were better than suspicious ones as long as they didn’t prompt Jack into getting out of bed and following her.

He didn’t, letting her escape into the bathroom without any more interruptions. Kathy didn’t dare flip the lock, certain Jack would hear and his suspicion would be aroused. Instead she made the nerve-wracking decision to leave it undone and simply pray he didn’t decide to join her.

Flipping the tub faucet on, she took a minute to rummage around for her bath salts, knowing that sound and scent would be essential to pulling off her deception. Clean clothes would have been nice too, but Kathy hadn’t had a chance to stock the bathroom thanks to Amos’s unexpected visit. Jack being awake didn’t help either, because she certainly couldn’t go back out there and retrieve anything.

That left her rooting through the hamper. Dirty was better than naked only some of the time, and Kathy chose to go commando before pulling on a pair of jeans. The bra she could live with, though she did sniff every shirt in the basket before making her choice. By the time she’d finished dressing, Kathy had dug out the gun and camera Rosy had hidden at the bottom of the hamper. True to her word, she hadn’t provided any bullets.

With the water still running, Kathy removed the wooden hatch that covered the cut-in next to the tub. Most people mistook it for the access to the plumbing, but it also led directly into the crawlspace below. The prospect of going down into the dark, cramped, no doubt bug-infested space without a flashlight and full bodysuit of armor didn’t exactly appeal to Kathy, but she had no choice. That was the only way out.

If she had to endure the next several minutes of horror, Kathy wanted to make damn sure it was for a winning cause. Pausing to turn the water off, she took the time to drop a large wad of towels into the tub. As the water splashed against the sides, Kathy let out a deep sigh.

“Ahhhhhhhhh.”

Certain that she’d bought herself enough time to get gone, Kathy steadied her nerves with the promise that later she could take a long, scalding-hot shower. She held on to that vow as she slipped down into the crawlspace.

* * * *

Jack lay in bed, staring at the ceiling as he considered the woman soaking only a few feet away. He’d tried to drift back to sleep but the sweet scents wafting from under the bathroom door kept him hard enough to stay awake. The light, frilly, feminine fragrance invaded his mind and body, drugging him with the potent feeling of contentment. It left him relaxed, too lethargic to move.

Instead of fighting the sensation, Jack just lay there and waited for Kathy to come back, using the time to fantasize about what he’d have her do once she returned. He liked the idea of commanding her to mount him, make her ride him, and do all the work this time. That thought brought a smile to his lips even as it had his dick swelling. As hard as his cock was, it wouldn’t be long before the burn in his balls became painful.

Jack turned his thoughts in a vain attempt to ease the ache before it overwhelmed him. Not that he could force his mind off the image of Kathy, naked and wet, but at least he managed to see some motive to actions. Obviously Kathy had hoped to distract them from forcing her to leave, but she’d only postponed her departure, not escaped it.

It would serve her right if he proved that point by leaving all her clothes behind. Just like that, his mind flooded with images of Kathy naked, bound, at his mercy. He could have so much fun. One day he would, but that day wouldn’t be anytime soon.

Jack sighed, giving up the dream as he faced the more complicated reality before him. Tagger wouldn’t like Jack taking Kathy out of the picture. He certainly wouldn’t let Jack hide her away. No, she’d end up in custody and under the stress of a real interrogation. Of course, if Collin tried to run with her, both of them would end up arrested.

The only other real option was Amos. Just the thought of sending Kathy off with the crazy old general left a bitter taste in Jack’s mouth. That was better, though, than the clenching pain that nearly doubled him over at the thought of something bad happening to Kathy. No doubt the old man would keep her tucked safe and sound in the town his men ran. Amos would certainly keep the Feds away along with everybody else, possibly even Jack.

Of course, she wouldn’t be alone, not with all the men Amos employed. It wouldn’t be long before Kathy was like, “Jack who?” That shouldn’t matter to him. It wasn’t like Jack wanted Kathy to be stuck on him. He just wanted his turn and nobody in his way. Eventually, he’d move on, and then she’d move on and ultimately end up with some other man.

Unwittingly, his mind painted an image of some faceless, nameless man kissing and licking his way down Kathy’s squirming body while she panted and begged for more. Then Jack wrapped his arms around the son of bitch’s neck and snapped it. Jack sighed, feeling better by the moment. The grim truth was that all his options sucked and his dick still hurt.

The only good thing about his current situation was that Kathy would be coming out of that bathroom soon enough. As much as he told himself that, the wait still felt like it lasted forever. Jack began to strain to catch some sound of life from the other side of the bathroom door. He knew he could hear through it, having clearly heard her slip into the bathtub with a moan.

Then again, that had to have been a half hour back. He hadn’t heard a sound since, not even water running through the pipes as she tried to keep the bath from going cold. Those thoughts had Jack tensing as his curiosity quickly led him to question whether or not she’d snuck out. He’d have heard her, Jack felt certain of that. If she was still in there, though, she was acting like the dead.

Feeling stupid for giving in to the panic that thought inspired, Jack had to know. Try as he might, he couldn’t rid himself of those horrible images of her floating dead in the tub without laying eyes on her. Once Jack saw Kathy happy and alive amongst her bubbles, he’d be able to relax.

Then he could join her. That thought led to more pleasant ones, filling his head with all sorts of ideas as he reached for the doorknob. Smirking, he considered just how much fun—

Jack froze. His mind, his body, his very breath stilled as the bathroom door swung open to reveal an empty room. The numbness lasted only for half a second before pure, unadulterated rage seared through him.

“
Son of a bitch!
”

* * * *

Amos held his hand up, shutting Nick Cooper up in an instant. Behind them, Ryan had perked up in his seat, going from nearly asleep to amused as he listened to whatever came through his headphones. Something was up, proving that Amos’s gut had been right again. The thing was damn near infallible.

“What’s up?” Amos asked, drawing Ryan’s smirk in his direction.

“Yep. Miss Coben has left the building. Here, take a listen.” Ryan reached over to flip a knob and fill the van with the profanity roaring through the speakers. Amos flinched, impressed by the colorful combinations that blasted through the vehicle. By comparison, Nick’s soft whisper held more impact for its singular simplicity.

“Damn.” Nick shook his head as Ryan lowered the volume until the symphony of obscenity was a dull mumble in the background. “I don’t think I’d want to be the little lamb when those shepherds catch up with her.”

“The little lamb is more like a big, man-eating cat. The kind that devours shepherds,” Amos assured him, holding back his snicker.

For whatever reasons, Nick was on a “lamb” kick tonight. He’d been going on about “his precious lamb” and how his “little lamb” was in so much danger. Either Nick had found love or was overcompensating for the girl he lost. Amos had heard about how bad Nick’s last assignment had gone, but thought the younger man should cut himself some slack.

Everybody lost somebody. Hell, Kathy had managed to sneak out past not only Jack and Collin, but the Feds and Amos’s men. God willing, the cartel’s guys were just as clueless right then. Amos would feel more confident on that score if he knew just how the woman had pulled it off. There weren’t any answers coming through the bug, though, only more profanity.

“Tell me you got some idea where she went, Ryan?” Amos could pray as hard as he wanted. That didn’t stop Ryan from shaking his head.

“Nope. She woke up and had a conversation with Jack and then went to take a bath. The last sound I heard was her sighing in the tub. The bug was silent for the last half hour until this started.” Ryan nodded to the speakers.

Amos scowled as he tried to put all the pieces together. Ryan would have mentioned if he’d heard any doors open or movement in the house. It didn’t sound like Jack or Collin were searching the house, either. That meant she’d gone into the bathroom and disappeared from there, but that didn’t make any sense.

“Can you fucking believe this shit?”

The cursing filling the van began to get peppered with actual words. Amos waved away the question Nick started to ask, hoping that Jack would elaborate on whatever had him so disgusted. Fortunately, he did.

“Seriously, Collin, can you fucking believe this shit? That is a goddamn hole. The woman keeps a fucking hole in her floor!”

A hole that led under the house and allowed her to exit through the crawlspace would explain how she’d gotten out, but not why nobody had seen her. Kathy’s yard was flat and empty, no place to hide or sneak off into the night.

Of course, he could be wrong. The Feds had proprietary placement and knew damn well others were watching. Even if they had seen Kathy skip out, they could very well have had a shadow unit follow her.

The only question was whether or not Jack knew and was worth following. Amos bet not, which was just why he had his own shadow team to rely on. “Get me the Blue Team on the line.”

“You want to break silence?” Ryan hesitated before obeying that command, asking a question he should know he didn’t have to.

“I wouldn’t have told you to get me him if I didn’t want you to,” Amos snapped back. “Now move, we might be too late as it is. And you”—Amos turned his glare on Nick—“you riding along on this, or you want to jump out?”

“I got to get back to the hospital.” Nick shoved open the door behind him, but still hesitated before hopping. “You’ll be in touch?”

“As soon as I find this girl,” Amos promised him.

* * * *

“Tell me you at least know where Marion is,” Tagger demanded as he pinned his cell phone between his ear and shoulder. Reaching for the pants he stepped into, the agent danced around pulling them up as he listened to Thomas’s answer.

“She went to bed at ten with her husband and there hasn’t been a peep out of their house since.”

“Yeah?” That didn’t impress Tagger one bit. “And didn’t you just say that you heard Kathy Coben in the tub and then nothing. She just disappeared.”

“Wait a minute, sir.” Thomas’s voice faded away as another person began speaking in the background. He didn’t return until after Tagger had his shirt tucked in and his belt buckled. “We got her. Banger’s team has her entering the library.”

“Well, that’s great,” Tagger snapped, reaching for his gun and holster. “Do you have any fucking idea why she went there?”

Thomas paused, clearly hesitating over his answer. “No, sir. Not as yet.”

“Then make damn sure Marion hasn’t gone anywhere.” If nothing else, Tagger could at least track all the other players. Kathy had to be out there to meet somebody. He needed to know whom. “And make sure her twit of a friend, Rose whatever, is really in bed, too, and I want positive visual IDs, Thomas. You wake up the rest of the team and get everybody covered, from the sheriff on down. Got me?”

“Yes, sir.” Despite his quick comeback, Thomas’s voice held the quiver of uncertainty. Tagger could easily guess at its source.

“And, no, Thomas. I don’t want anybody contacting Agent Harrington or informing him of anything if he makes contact.” Tagger didn’t think Jack would. Right about then, Tagger imagined, Jack was probably panicking and cursing. A lot. That wouldn’t help.

“And Thomas?”