Molten Gold (4 page)

“Hang on a minute,” Jared requested.

Adelaide could hear him moving. The material of his jacket
made a swishing noise as he walked somewhere. A door closed and Jared lowered
his voice.

“Can you describe him to me?”

“I can do one better,” she replied, feeling proud of
herself. “I’ll send you a picture of him. Wait a second.”

She put Jared on hold, then attached the photo she’d taken
to a text and sent it to him. Then she returned to the call. “I’ve never seen
him before.”

“Is that a balaclava you’ve pulled up?” Jared asked.

“Yes. I’m not sure I knocked him unconscious, but it must
have been close. He didn’t stir when I lifted the mask up and took his picture,
but I didn’t exactly hang around to ask him questions either. I was out of
there less than a minute after I decided to take his photo.”

“Smart girl,” Jared said in a soft voice. “Look, I promise I
didn’t send anyone after you. I honestly figured that after a couple of days
researching what I told you and time and space to think about it, you’d call me
back. I think you’re the kind of woman who likes answers and hearing the full
story. I had no need or any desire to send some weighty jerk around to beat
answers out of you.”

“Well, until your visit yesterday afternoon I’d never even
heard of Saddam’s gold, let alone any
supposed
connection to my uncle,”
Adelaide insisted. “And he died eighteen months ago. It’s not as if his will
has just been read in public and there’s some cryptic message and the treasure
hunters are coming out of the woodwork. Don’t you find it suspicious that the
day after you come to my door there’s some goon visiting me?”

“I have to admit,” Jared said reluctantly, “it does seem
like too much of a coincidence. Who did you tell about my visit yesterday?”

“What? You think this problem is on my side?” Adelaide
snapped. “I’ve got news for you, buster. I didn’t tell anyone. This dangerous
leak is from your end.”

“Oh come on, you’re a woman. A reporter as well.” Jared
sighed. “You surely told someone.”

“I told my editor I was working on a new story and would
need some time to research it before I delivered it,” Adelaide admitted. “But I
didn’t tell him it revolved around gold, nor did I breathe a word that
you
and supposedly the Army believe my uncle is involved. Trust me, the leak isn’t
from the paper or anyone I know.”

“Well, we might have to explore that further later,” Jared
said. Adelaide could hear resignation in his tone. She was relieved—it seemed
he was at least willing to admit the problem could be from someone in his
orbit.

“Where are you?” Jared asked.

“In my car,” Adelaide replied.

She tried to keep the snippiness out of her voice but wasn’t
sure she succeeded. The shakes had returned to her hands and she had to
concentrate to control them. Still feeling residual fear made her annoyed. Some
jerk had broken into her house, messed with her things and tried to hurt her.
Adelaide wanted to channel her emotions into anger and more useful energy. But
that didn’t help much when her fingers trembled.

“Look, maybe you should drive out to my office,” Jared
continued. “Do you have a map? Or I could give you instructions on—”

“Are you insane?” Adelaide cut him off. “I’m not stepping
foot anywhere near your office or other soldiers. Do you really want whatever
crazy person is after this stuff to think I’m more involved than I already am?
I don’t know anything, but if whoever is the leak over there sees me hanging
around you, they’re going to assume we’re in collusion. That’s the last thing I
want—more maniacs after me.”

Adelaide shook her head. She couldn’t believe she was still
having this discussion. While she believed Jared hadn’t sent the man who’d
attacked her, clearly this was rooted in his world, not hers. She should
totally cut her losses. Writing the story didn’t mean being in physical danger
because of it. She could get details from the sidelines, well away from beefy,
psychotic burglars who wanted to beat her head in.

“Okay,” she said on a slow exhale. “Look, I’ve let you know
what’s going on. Good luck finding your stupid gold. I need to call the cops
and report the break-in. I need my house cleaned so I can try to see if
anything’s been stolen.”

“Now who’s talking crazy?” Jared asked. “Do you really think
the police will offer you protection? Or help track down this guy? All they’ll
see is a very scared woman who’s had her house broken into. They’re not going
to believe any story you weave about conspiracies within the Army and stolen
gold from Iran.”

“Well…” Adelaide stumbled, not sure how to respond. She
could see Jared’s point, but it seemed wrong not to inform the police. That was
what you did in these kinds of circumstances. Right? The police were there to
help you, to protect you.

“They’ll write a report, sure,” Jared added. “And check that
this guy isn’t hanging around your house. But then they’ll file it under yet
another home break-in and keep an eye out for any stolen items, assuming there
are any.”

Adelaide wavered. What he said was true. But she’d been
taught to trust in the police, to turn to them for help. Jared had a point,
though—what help would it be if it got stashed away with every other burglary
by drugged-up kids needing their next fix? That wasn’t going to solve her
problems.

“I still think we should call the cops,” Adelaide said.
“What would your alternative suggestion be, Lieutenant?”

“We meet somewhere else, away from my office,” Jared said.
“I know this is more than just a random house break-in, so I can protect you
better than the police could.”

“But the police can run this picture through their database,
right?” Adelaide asked, still not convinced her safest bet was to throw her lot
in with Jared. Sure, the man was walking sex on a stick and had an ass she
could happily stare at and drool over all day, but he was just a man. One guy
versus whatever they were up against.

“Don’t they have those criminal databases, and facial
recognition? And I can look through mug shots and all that stuff. My chances of
working out who this might be are better if we give what we have to the police,
don’t you agree?” Adelaide continued.

“That’s true, but it’s also a fact that the police’s
database is only helpful if the guy who attacked you is a known criminal,”
Jared said. “If there really is a leak over here, then I’d bet anything the man
responsible wouldn’t hire a common criminal. Either he’d get someone who isn’t
in the system, someone good enough not to be known by the police, or a person
who isn’t even a career criminal. Someone completely fresh.”

“What? Like one of your ex-Army guys? Special Forces or
something like that?” Adelaide asked, astonished.

She wasn’t naïve—she knew there were bad people out there.
But the thought that she might be up against someone with special training,
someone who had done his duty to his country and might have been shafted
because of it…that made her even more nervous. She wasn’t equipped to fight
someone like that. Nor had she ever thought to. Adelaide had nothing but
respect for the men and women who served to protect their country.

“Maybe, or maybe just a contractor,” Jared replied
thoughtfully. “Let me think about it a little. For now, though, I think you
should lay low. Do you trust me? I think we should work together on this and
keep you away from your home and out of your routine.”

“I don’t really have much of a routine,” Adelaide admitted.
“I work odd hours and have no real ties to anyone now my family is gone. I have
plenty of friends, but when I’m following a story or deep in writing a longer
piece I sometimes go a week or two without contacting people.”

“That’s good,” Jared said. “So if you stay away from your
place for a bit it should be easy to keep you safe while we figure this out.”

“Okay, I’ll go back home and pack a bag—”

“Absolutely not. They might be watching your home, waiting
for you to return. And since they failed this first time, they might resort to
more extreme measures.”

“Resort to extreme…” Adelaide repeated, unable to believe
she’d heard the words correctly. “What on earth do you mean?”

“If they truly believe you know where the gold is, they
might kidnap you this time instead of asking,” Jared explained.

Adelaide gasped, her vivid imagination conjuring up
scenarios of what that could mean.

“Then I’ll need to use your laptop or tablet,” she said in a
shaky voice. “And I’ll grab a few essentials on my way to meet you. From the
shops, out in the open where they can’t take me, though I’m sure I’m not being
followed.”

Adelaide looked in the rearview mirror and glanced all
around her, suddenly exceedingly nervous. “Where should we meet?”

“My place,” Jared insisted. He lowered his voice again,
speaking so softly now that she had to strain to hear him. “Get a pen and write
this down.”

Adelaide opened her handbag and pulled out her notebook and
a pen. “Go,” she said. Jared gave her his address and brief instructions on how
to get there. She jotted everything down in her personal shorthand, nodding
even though he couldn’t see her.

“Okay,” she said. “Here’s my cell number, and should I use
this one to contact you if I need to again?”

Adelaide gave him her number and he recited two more for her
to write down, his office and home numbers.

“Give me a call when you get off the freeway,” Jared
instructed. “I’ll apply for some personal leave—I have plenty stored away—and
take the next few days off. We can meet up and discuss this further, make some
plans.”

“Okay,” Adelaide agreed. They hung up.

To help calm her down, she turned to a fresh page and
carefully wrote out in longhand everything she needed to do. While she wasn’t a
list freak, when her mind was too full of multiple things, worries in
particular, she found writing them out where she could physically see them and
not have to keep them in her brain helped to ease the stress.

She needed to do more research into these damn gold bars.
She needed a few changes of clothes and maybe a small stash of water and
crackers, just in case she found herself trapped with nowhere to go. And she
needed some socks and shoes. Comfortable ones, maybe sneakers. She pulled up
the map application on her phone and checked the driving directions Jared had
given her. They seemed spot on.

Still nervous and a bit twitchy, Adelaide started her car
again and headed in the direction of the nearest shopping mall. She only needed
a few things, but she decided to stop off at an ATM too. Cash would come in
handy and the quicker she pulled some out, the less likely she was to be
caught. She doubted whoever she was up against could access bank records—this
wasn’t the FBI or CIA—but giving her enemies more credit than they deserved was
a safe way to act right now. If she shopped locally then ran to Jared, at least
she could be far away if they ever did track her down.

Tapping her fingers on the steering wheel, she blew out a
hard breath.

It looked like her story was a hell of a lot bigger than
she’d ever dreamed possible. She just hoped she lived long enough to tell the
tale.

Adelaide had picked up a large tote bag. It now held a
multi-pack of ladies’ cotton panties, another bra and a triple-pair pack of
socks. She’d found some T-shirts and lightweight slacks on special and added those
too, unsure how long it would be until she could duck home and pack a proper
bag. She’d also found a cheap pair of sneakers. They weren’t her ideal brand
and her credit card had taken a beating, but she couldn’t exactly go wandering
around the country with no shoes on.

She longed to change out of her business skirt and silk
shirt and wash this day away, but she figured there’d be plenty of time for
that at Jared’s. After withdrawing as much money as she dared from her account
and stuffing the bills into her purse, she was ready.

It had taken her a bit longer than she’d guessed to drive to
Jared’s, but she texted him after pulling off the freeway. The map app on her
phone helped her to navigate the labyrinth of side streets. Finally she pulled
up in front of a medium-sized home with neatly maintained lawns and bushes.

Jared’s car was pulled up in the driveway. Adelaide was
about to get out but she hesitated. Once bitten, twice shy. She called him.

“Hey, Adelaide, where are you?” he answered.

“Out front of your place, I believe,” she replied. “But I
wanted to check it was your car parked here. Last time I waltzed into a house I
got a rude shock, so I’m a bit more hesitant this time.”

“Hang on.”

Adelaide waited and she heard Jared walking across a wooden
floor. She heard the sound of a latch unlocking and turned to look at the front
door. Sure enough, as she heard a door open she saw him lean against the frame.
Adelaide couldn’t believe how relieved she was to see him. Even from this
distance, Jared somehow seemed to represent security and safety to her.

She could feel his hot gaze on her. Hanging up without a
word, she collected her handbag and tote and climbed from her car. She walked
up his footpath and smiled a little nervously. His gaze didn’t waver from her—she
could feel him steadily watching her progress. His broad shoulders filled the
doorframe, his body lean and well-muscled. His dark eyes scanned her when she stopped
in front of him.

Adelaide felt her heart rate kick up when she realized he
was checking her out. It was possible he only wanted to see whether she’d been
hurt in the fight, but her skin tingled and her feminine senses told her it was
far more than that. She knew the pencil-slim skirt highlighted her slender
waist and the female curve of her hips. Not even remotely petite, Adelaide knew
she was all woman and was proud of her lush body.

“You look good,” he complimented her.

“I’m not usually this jumpy,” she tried to explain, but he
waved the words away.

“You’ve done exactly the right thing,” he insisted, his tone
a bit thick.

She flicked her eyes down to his crotch and noticed a decent-sized
bulge there. She moistened her lips, suddenly curious and ravenous to explore
the hard planes of his physique.

“I’m glad you trusted me, Adelaide,” he continued. He
stepped aside and let her enter the house. He closed the door behind her. “Come
on through. I’ll make you something to eat. I’m afraid I don’t have any
cookies, but how does a sandwich sound? I also have a pitcher of Arnold Palmer
in the fridge, if you’re thirsty?”

“You drink iced tea with fizzy lemonade?” she asked, a
little surprised. She’d have put him down for a beer-or-die-of-thirst style of
man.

He grinned, clearly enjoying her shock.

“Oh I love a cold beer, especially with the guys,” he said,
seeming to read her mind. “But I like to keep a clear head most of the time.
You never know when something unexpected will land on your doorstep.”

“So now I’m unexpected?” she asked.

Adelaide kept her tone light, but there seemed to be the
faintest hint of flirtation in his tone. She didn’t want to overstep the
boundaries of politeness, but she’d be damned if she’d miss an opportunity to
verbally play with this man. He was pretty complex himself, convoluted and full
of layers and secret meanings. She found that the more she learned about him,
the more questions she had. It was intoxicating.

“Addy, sweetheart, you’re so many things a man would need a
week just to try to sort it out,” he replied. Jared pointed to a low table in
the entrance hallway. She placed her bags on it and followed him into the
kitchen. She only caught a quick glimpse, but the house was neat and tidy.
There were leather couches and seats in the living room and a few pictures on
the wall. She thought she caught sight of a bookcase, but they were moving into
the kitchen before she could be sure.

“I’ve got plenty of sandwich makings,” he said as he opened
the door to the fridge. He placed a chilled jug on the bench and quickly
grabbed two glasses. He poured them each a drink.

Adelaide wished her hand didn’t shake as she reached out to
take hers. She took a hasty sip, wanting to cover the residual anxiety. The
kitchen was large and airy, enormous windows looking out onto a small but
neatly kept garden. The place felt like a bachelor pad to her, but one that was
well looked after, pride taken in it. She swallowed again and tried to stem her
rising nerves.

“Hey,” he said in a soft voice. Jared placed a hand on her
shoulder. The weight and solidarity of his presence was comforting in and of
itself. “You’ll be safe here. I promise to not let anyone hurt you.”

“I didn’t have time to be scared while it was all
happening,” she said, her voice wavering. “Or not really. It all happened so
quickly. A matter of minutes. The more I think about it though…”

“Then don’t think,” he chided her.

Jared wrapped his arms around her shoulders and Adelaide
placed her glass back on the bench. She leaned her head against his warm chest
and let the shuddering, weak breath leave her body. She exhaled a large sigh
that she’d kept locked tight inside her and the world receded. Jared tilted her
chin up with his fingers. Adelaide stared into his dark gaze and lifted her
head higher as he dropped his lips to hers.

They kissed softly, with sweetness. A shudder racked her
body and she moaned. Her nipples tightened and heat spread down to her pussy.
She lifted her hand and brushed it through his hair. It was just as soft and
silky as she’d imagined the day before. He opened his mouth and touched the tip
of his tongue to her lips.

Eagerly, she parted for him and he rushed inside,
plundering. The more deeply they kissed, the more passion grew between them.
Panting, Adelaide ran her hands over Jared’s hard body. She tugged his shirt
out of his waistband and dipped inside to feel his chest.

As she’d imagined, his hard muscles were smooth and warm.
When she caressed the tips of her fingers over his nipples, he hissed. She
could feel his stomach tighten beneath her other hand.

“Fuck that feels wonderful,” he panted.

When he began to unbutton her crisp work shirt, she returned
the favor, eagerly stripping his from his body. Jared was well-built—it was
clear he hadn’t lost any of his physical fitness since he’d returned home from
action.

He exposed her creamy white lace bra. Adelaide tilted her
head and watched his gaze devour her breasts. He lowered his hands and unzipped
her skirt. She toed off her new sneakers and stepped out of the material,
letting it pool at her feet.

Her matching lacy thong exposed, Adelaide felt a moment’s
nerves at being so exposed when he still had his trousers on. But the heat in
his eyes, the intensity of his gaze upon her body showed more clearly than any
sweet endearments just how much he admired her physique.

She laughed as he picked her up, sweeping her into his arms.

“This is how a true gentleman treats a lady, right?” he
teased her.

He carried her out of the kitchen and down the hallway. When
they entered his bedroom she wasn’t surprised to find it, too, neatly kept.
There was an enormous bed with wooden posts and a few more pictures on the
walls. The carpet was lush when he placed her on her feet near the bed. A dark-blue
bedspread covered the sheets, all made up with military precision.

“I’m not sure,” she replied to his earlier question. “A true
gentleman might have fed his lady first, but I’m not after someone like that.
My mama introduced me properly and I could have picked one of those beaus if I’d
had a mind to.”

“Ah,” he said. Jared pulled the cover back and tugged the
top sheet free. “So what do you want, a bad boy? Because I have to be honest, I
might be a number of things, but bad isn’t one of them.”

“No, I’ve met my share of those too,” she admitted.

They undressed each other with hungry looks and eager hands.
When they stood naked before each other in the clear sunlight streaming through
the room, Adelaide had to catch her breath. He was gorgeous.

“So what do you want, Addy?” Jared asked. His voice was
thick and husky, filled with need.

“I’ll let you know,” she replied, and closed the distance
between them. Pressing her naked body against his, she stood on her tiptoes.
“Right now, I want you.”

She kissed him passionately. Jared lifted her up and placed
her delicately on the bed, as if she were something precious that he needed to
protect. It made her feel cherished. He pressed his body against hers and
Adelaide ran her palm down the strong line of his back. Hard muscle vied with
smooth, warm skin. She cupped his ass and pulled him closer to her.

He slid a thigh between her legs and Adelaide shifted to
grant him access. When he stroked his thumb between her lips, she gasped.

“You’re so wet,” he purred, clearly pleased.

He touched her clit and an electric pulse arced through her
body. She pressed her shoulders into the mattress and lifted her chest, eager
for more. Wrapping a leg around his waist, she opened herself fully to him.

“More,” she pleaded.

Jared thrust two fingers deep into her pussy and the full
sensation drove her wild. When he dipped his head to her chest, she eagerly
cupped herself. He opened his mouth and suckled her nipple, the warm wetness
feeling divine. He drew on her and shudders raced down her spine and through
her stomach, pooling at her clit. She lifted her hips and he penetrated harder
into her creaming pussy.

When Jared curved his fingers, she could feel him searching
her walls for her G-spot.

“Ah!” she cried out when he found the sensitive spot. “Yes.
Oh yes, right there.”

She dug her heel into the base of his spine and canted her
hips higher. He sucked harder on her breasts and continued to stroke inside
her.

“I’m close,” she panted. He mumbled around her breast.
Adelaide lowered a hand and zeroed in on her apex. She caressed her clit and
groaned deeply. Knots formed in her stomach and she yearned for release.

“I want you inside me,” she demanded. Lifting her hands, she
cupped Jared’s jaw, gently urging him to look at her. When their gazes met, she
drank in the sight of him. His face was flushed, his eyes so dark they seemed
fathomless.

“I want to come with you joined to me, thrusting within me.
Please,” she asked.

He released her breast with a wet
plop
sound.

“Hang on a minute,” he said. She had to smile at the rough tone
of his voice. He gingerly withdrew his fingers from her. With a wicked twinkle
in his gaze, he watched her face as he lifted the digits to his mouth and
sucked on them. She saw him flick his tongue out and lap at the juices he’d
collected from her body. Adelaide’s face burned. She was equal parts turned on
and embarrassed to witness such a decadent, provocative display.

He turned and crawled to the end of the bed. Opening a
drawer in his bedside table, he pulled out a box and took a single square foil packet.

“Let me,” she urged him. Adelaide sat up and held out a
hand. Jared turned back to her and gave her the protection.

Naughtiness welled up inside her. When Jared came back and kneeled
before her, she sat up on her knees. Instead of covering his cock, she reached
out and encircled him with her fingers at his root. Bending down, she opened
her mouth and swallowed as far down around him as she could manage without
gagging.

“Holy heavens,” he swore.

Satisfaction rolled through her. Pleased that she’d taken
him by surprise, she decided to flex her sexuality a little. She flicked her
tongue out and pressed it beneath his glans. Searching out the sensitive slit,
she laved him, using the roughness to thoroughly sensitize him.

Jared arched up, thrusting his hips and pistoning his cock farther
down her throat. Adelaide steadied her breathing and relaxed her muscles,
accepting him fully. She stroked him with the hand clasped around his thick
rod. He was hot and his veins pulsed. She knew he was close.

“Addy, unless you want to swallow down my seed, I need to be
inside you. Right now.”

Adelaide licked her tongue all over him as she slowly,
slowly raised her head. Feeling deliciously naughty, she locked her lips around
the very tip of his head just for a moment. He groaned and she could feel his
body trembling with need.

Only then did she release him and tear open the packet still
in her other hand. She placed the protection over his head and rolled it down
his length. Adelaide was about to take him into her mouth again, but Jared
appeared to have become wise to her ways.

“No you don’t, sweetness,” he purred. He grabbed her under
the arms and took her back to the bed, pressing his chest against hers and
leaning into her against the soft mattress. Jared wriggled his hips and thrust
a thigh between her legs again. She could feel the hot head of his cock pushing
between her lower lips, seeking entrance.

“I want to have you,” he panted. “You’ve got a wicked mouth,
lady. Though that shouldn’t surprise me in the least. You could drive a man
nuts with that talented tongue. But this time I want to be inside you,
possessing you in the most intimate way between a man and a woman.”