Wanted (FBI Heat Book 3) (11 page)

Dillon huffed. “Now we have another set of scenarios in which someone else is using or allowing outsiders to use Farook’s computer to do their dirty work.”

“And the Luddite hasn’t even noticed the difference,” Chaos chimed in.

“How would Farook not realize this wasn’t his computer?” Kat asked.

“Since all the computers were new, they probably didn’t have any external scratches or dings to distinguish them. And cloning Farook’s hard drive and putting it on another computer wouldn’t be difficult. A lot of non-techies would even know how to do it.”

“Well, shit, Shadow. How are we gonna verify this?”

Dillon turned to Kat. “We’re just going to have to pay Asad Farook—or at least his office—a little visit.”

When they returned to Dillon’s apartment from the man cave, he didn’t even suggest Kat return to his bed. Part of her was disappointed, but another part knew it was the right decision. The conflict between what she wanted to do and what she should do was already wearing on her. The sooner this was over and she was far, far away from Dillon, the safer and saner she would be.

She lay on the couch, staring at the ceiling, for a long time. Hacking into the Diablo Beach computer system put Dillon on the opposite side of the law from the FBI. How did he reconcile his actions with his job? And when had he become the Shadow with a friend named Chaos? Had he gone to the dark side as a result of their breakup? It was all just too weird to comprehend.

Kat stewed and mused and worried until her head spun. Eventually, exhaustion gave her a reprieve, and she fell into a fitful sleep.

On Thursday morning, she awoke to the wonderful aroma of coffee. Her eyes fluttered open to the sight of a steaming cup on the table in front of the couch.

She felt Dillon’s steely gaze on her before she spotted him in the recliner. He was already dressed, and wet strands of ebony hair hung on his forehead as evidence of an earlier shower. She fought the urge to pull the sheet up to her neck as they stared at each other for several minutes. His piercing blue eyes bored into her as though looking for answers or explanations of what she’d said to him last night after they’d made love. He could look all he wanted because she could never reveal the truth.

“How do you feel?” he finally asked.

She stretched and turned her head to the left and then to the right to find out. “Still a little sore, but the headache’s better. Hopefully, the dizziness will be gone today.”

“Don’t push yourself.”

“What time is it?”

“Nine.”

“Wow, I never sleep in this late.”

“You didn’t get to bed until four.”

She expected more, some discussion of the night’s events, but he only pressed his lips together. Sighing, she sat up and pulled the sheet around her as she reached for the mug of coffee. The heat in her hands felt comforting, and the first swallow spread warmth through her stiff body. Closing her eyes, she enjoyed another sip.

“Your phone’s been ringing.”

She gasped, and her panicky gaze shot to him.
Oh no, Mom’s calling or texting about Skye. Did he see—

His gaze hardened in response to her reaction. “Don’t worry. It’s still in your purse, and I didn’t peek.” He rolled his eyes before stomping into the kitchen.

Kat scrambled from the couch to grab her purse and robe from the other chair. Only a slight wave of dizziness hit her before she sat down again. Thumbing the phone’s screen, she found two calls from her mother and one from Charlie Lee.

After a glance at the kitchen doorway, she hurried down the hall to the bathroom.

“I was beginnin’ to get worried, Katie dear, when you didn’t call back,” her mother scolded. “How are you feelin’?”

She cupped her hand over her mouth and whispered, “Not too good. Is Skye okay?”

“Of course. Why are you whisperin’?”

She crossed her fingers. “Talking makes my head hurt. You can still watch Skye today, right?”

“Yes, Katie. Want to say hi?”

“Sure, Mom.” She exhaled through pursed lips. Hiding in a bathroom and lying to her mother was not Kat’s style, but her parents would totally freak out if they discovered she was staying with Dillon. And not just staying, but also having sex with him. Oh God, the Scottish curses she would hear.

“Mama. Mama.” Skye’s precious baby voice greeted her.

“Hi, sweetie. I miss you. Are you being good for Grandma and Grandpa?”

“Mama. Mama.”

“I love you, baby girl.” Kat’s eyes stung. She longed to hug her daughter close and escape from all this, but that wasn’t her style either. Or was it? Hadn’t she kept her unborn child a secret and run from Dillon? Kat shook her head in denial. Right now, Skye was definitely safer if she wasn’t near Kat. “Give Grandma the phone, baby. Bye-bye.”

The little girl wailed as her grandmother got back on the phone. “She’s a talker, that one. Doesn’t want to give up the phone. Now you go back to bed and rest, Katie dear.”

“Thanks again, Mom. I’ll call you later.” Kat disconnected and punched Charlie’s number.

“Well, there you are. How ya feeling?” he asked immediately.

That constant question was getting on her nerves. “I’m on my deathbed.”

“What?”

“Just kidding, Charlie.” She paused as an idea hit her. “How was work last night?”

“Work?”

“You know, Diablo Beach where they pay us to hang out together.”

He chuckled. “Same ole, same ole.”

“Was Farook in last night?”

“Nah. He got Graham to cover for you.”

“You didn’t see anything unusual on rounds?”

A long pause was the only answer.

“Charlie?”

“How hard did you hit your head, Kat? You know nothing ever happens there. Why’d you ask?”

“No reason. Is Farook going to be in tonight?”

“He’s not scheduled to be. Why?”

She laughed, hoping she was convincing. “Just wondering if he’s giving my substitutes as much hassle as he gives me.”

Charlie hesitated and then laughed also. “Probably not. They’re not as pretty as you.”

“You know that’s not why he gets on my case about everything.”

“Yeah, I know. His whole attitude is a little creepy. So when ya comin’ back?”

“Not for a few more days. Hold down the fort, okay?”

They said good-bye and disconnected. Kat grimaced when she realized she’d been gripping the phone like a lifeline. Maybe she should tell Dillon about Charlie. They might be able to use him as their eyes and ears.

She found Dillon in the kitchen cooking breakfast. The smell of bacon and eggs revived her appetite, which had been nonexistent since the accident. “Can I help?”

“I cook; you clean up. Just like in the old days,” he said without taking his eyes off the stove.

She stuck her coffee mug in the microwave and poured a fresh cup for Dillon. When she handed it to him, their fingers touched, and she felt the familiar electricity. His gaze connected with hers, telling her that he felt it also. She turned away before the ache in her chest and the heat at her core caused her to say something she shouldn’t.

Not trusting herself, she stared out the window until he set a plate down in front of her and took the seat on the opposite side of the small table. They ate in silence for several minutes.

“You haven’t lost your touch with bacon and eggs,” she said to lessen the tension. “This is delicious. Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.” He finally looked up from his plate. “I have to go back to the man cave. It’s best if you come with me.”

“Is there anything I can do to help?”

“Probably not. I just don’t want you out of my sight. Maybe you could write down everything you can remember about the fluctuations and discrepancies.”

“Sure, I can do that.” She tapped her fingers on the table as she contemplated how to make her suggestion. “I have an idea so we don’t have to go to the plant tonight.”

His hand stopped with the fork halfway to his mouth. “I’m listening.”

“I asked Charlie if he’d noticed anything unusual last night. He could—”

Dillon’s fork clattered onto his plate. “You did what?”

“I asked—”

“Holy hell, Kat. We can’t broadcast our suspicions.”

She bristled. “I didn’t ‘broadcast’ anything. I just asked Charlie some innocuous questions.”

“Who the hell is Charlie?”

“Charlie Lee is part of the security team. He works the same night shift I do.”

Dillon’s eyes narrowed. “Is Charlie who you were talking to…in the bathroom?”

“Yeah.”
Yes, him and my mom and my daughter.

“Is he your platonic boyfriend?”

“Give it a rest, Dillon. There is no boyfriend, platonic or otherwise. If you expect me to believe you have no girlfriend, believe my lack of a boyfriend.”

He gave her a hard glare before he moved on. “What
exactly
did you ask non-boyfriend Charlie?”

As she recounted her questions, Dillon closed his eyes and massaged the back of his neck. “See?” she said at the end. “Totally innocuous.”

He opened his eyes, cocked his head, and sighed. “Not so much. You practically spelled it out that you suspected Farook was up to something unusual.”

“I disagree. You think that only because you know what’s going on. Charlie doesn’t have a clue.”

“Are you sure about that?” He slapped his hand on the table.

She jumped. “Charlie doesn’t even know about the problems I reported to Farook.”

Dillon leaned over the table, intensity radiating like an aura. “Until we know for sure who all is involved, you need to suspect everyone, Kat.”

She gulped. He was right, of course. She’d discarded Farook earlier as an unlikely terrorist, and now he was their prime suspect. His computer, at least. What did she know about investigating criminal activity or profiling likely suspects? Absolutely nothing.

“Sorry, Shadow. I’m new to this cloak-and-dagger stuff.”

Probably expecting an argument, he blinked at her apology. And then smiled. “But you’re a fast learner, Scotty. Let’s finish breakfast and get over to the man cave ASAP.”

They arrived at the storage facility at 10:15 a.m. Dillon immediately set to work on the computers, communicating frequently with Chaos via speakerphone. In between conversations, he typed and typed and typed. Why did
looking
for signs of program changes require so much typing? Kat did her best to ignore the geekese on the phone and the constant clicking on the keyboard as she re-created her notes about the discrepancies as best she could from memory.

Dillon showed no signs of stopping as noon came and went so Kat grabbed the snacks they hadn’t eaten last night and split the food between them. As she nibbled her lunch, she watched him with admiration. The pace at which he clicked between screens filled with computer code and seemed to absorb it at a glance amazed her. After scanning page upon page of the stuff, he’d start typing again, his fingers flying over the keys.

While they were together, she’d known he had computer skills beyond her comprehension, but she’d had no idea he was capable of hacking into a nuclear power plant’s system. The revelation was more than a little disturbing.

When her cell rang, she expected one of her parents, but the unfamiliar number made her pause. She hated the uneasy feeling that swept over her.
Don’t be a silly goose,
she chided herself as her mom would.

“Hello, Ms. MacKenzie?”

“Yes.”

“This is CHP Officer Mark Wilson. I’m just calling to let you know we’ve finished our examination of your car.”

“Did you uncover anything else useful?”

“Afraid not. But as I told you already, your tires were definitely shot out.”

“Have there been any similar incidences since mine?”

“Nope. Thank God. Only odd coincidence was the Stevens accident I mentioned to Special Agent O’Malley.”

“What?”

“Sorry, miss, but I gotta get out on patrol. Ask O’Malley about it. Do you want us to have your car towed somewhere?”

Kat gave him the name and address of the tire shop she’d talked to on Tuesday. She’d bought the two tires over the phone, and they were being held until she got the Civic back. After finishing with Wilson, she called the salesperson who had helped her and told him to expect the car within the hour. Her Civic would be as good as new by four that afternoon. Now all she had to do was figure out how to get it home since she still wasn’t supposed to drive.

Finished with her calls, she strolled over to stand behind Dillon. He was so engrossed he didn’t even notice her until she laid her hand on his shoulder. Instantly, he clicked the information off the screen.

“I’m not allowed to see?” she asked.

“Plausible deniability, remember?”

“Is that also why you didn’t talk to me about the Stevens accident?”

Dillon’s expression turned grim. “You spoke to Wilson?”

“Yes. He mentioned an ‘odd coincidence’ with the Stevens accident. Wilson said to ask you. So, is he talking about
Carl
Stevens?”

“For the record, I wasn’t keeping anything from you. In fact, my boss suggested I ask you about the guy’s position at the plant. I just hadn’t brought it up yet.”

“Are you sure you didn’t think an ‘odd coincidence’ would be more than I could handle, Dillon?”

He had the good sense to look embarrassed. A little, at least. “I didn’t want to scare you with something unconfirmed.”

She planted her hands on her hips. “Is it confirmed now?”

“No. All I know is that a guy named Stevens was killed in a car accident on southbound I-5 on his way to work the night shift at Diablo Beach. The location isn’t far from where your incident occurred on the northbound side.”

“Okay, that was Carl Stevens. He’s…he was…in the security department. I spoke to him when he was doing rounds but didn’t really know him. However, Carl and Charlie were good friends. Maybe we should ask Charlie about it.”

“No,” Dillon said emphatically.

Kat’s chest tightened. “Carl drove into an overpass pillar. Charlie told me that the autopsy showed no alcohol or drugs in his system.” Her heart pounded a little harder. “Do you think Carl lost control because his tires were shot out?”

“Wilson didn’t mention that detail.”

“What if they missed it?”

God, it was killing him to spend so much time in such close proximity to Kat. After two years of nothing, her nearness overloaded all his senses. He smelled every whiff of her delicate perfume, heard every sigh from her lush lips, and saw every flash of longing in her emerald eyes. It. Was. Killing. Him.

“Relax, Dillon, I’m not mad at you.”

“I didn’t think you were.”

“Well, you’ve got
that look
.”

He sighed. “What look?”

“Tense. Stressed. Worried. Grim. Shall I go on? You need to lighten up.”

Well, shit. “Tense” and “lighten up” were the way my week started.
“We think someone is trying to sabotage a nuclear power plant, and someone is definitely after you. I’d say that justifies tense and worried. Lighten up hardly seems appropriate,” he said defensively.

“You know what I mean. Being too tense can reduce your focus. And you know damn well that’s the look you always had when we first met. I thought I’d cured you before I…” Her voice trailed off, and she cleared her throat. “If you’ll stop working for fifteen minutes, I’ll give you a massage,” she said with a hint of mischief.

Oh God, the “if you’ll” game. Dangerous territory. Caution required.
“All right. Massage away.”

“Take off your shirt,” she ordered.

Oh shit.
With a sense of foreboding, he pulled the T-shirt over his head and threw it on the futon.

“Turn around, lean forward, and bow your head.”

He did as instructed and actually tensed even more because he knew what was coming. When her soft fingertips settled on his shoulders and kneaded their way toward his neck, a groan escaped his lips. Memories flooded his mind as he gave himself over to the comforting sensations.
To hell with caution.

Kat was right. When they met, he’d been a tense, stressed out, and bitter man. Being unwanted and unloved did that to a person. He had locked away emotions and trust behind a stoic façade. If people couldn’t touch him emotionally, they couldn’t hurt him.

Patiently, tenderly, Kat had changed him. Not only could she ease the physical tension in his body with her masterful massages, she also relieved the emotional stress in his soul with her heartfelt caring. Slowly, she’d found the man behind the façade and freed him. Unbelievably, she’d fallen in love with him. Something Dillon had never thought possible.

Her slender fingers furrowed through the hair at his nape, climbing higher toward the top of his head with each stroke. He didn’t know if the head was officially a part of reflexology, but he knew that, when Kat caressed his scalp, other parts of his body noticed. One part in particular.

Her hands moved to his shoulders again and kneaded firmly into the tight muscles. Then she made her way down his back, pressing and rubbing, identifying each cramped muscle and working until the knot relaxed and softened. Unfortunately, her efforts were having the opposite effect elsewhere.

“How did you get this scar?” she asked, gently touching a small spot near his right shoulder blade.

“Rock climbing in Yosemite last summer.”

Suddenly, the reason Kat was being so meticulous to cover every inch of his back hit him. In the past two years, she must’ve forgotten the feel of him. Now she was memorizing it. She’d already talked about having to move, and he’d seen the packed boxes in her living room. Kat was doing this in preparation for leaving him again. Resentment settled in his gut.

Well, if she wanted something to remember about him, he sure as hell wasn’t going to let it be his back.

Kat had closed her eyes as she memorized the ridges and bulges of the muscles in Dillon’s back. She loved the feel of him…beneath her fingers…on top of her…inside her…everywhere. Hopefully, in the future, she could close her eyes and pretend she was touching him or imagine he was making love to her. Those kinds of memories had gotten her through the past two years, and they would—

Her musings were abruptly interrupted when Dillon grabbed her hands and yanked her around in front of him. He bracketed her hips and pulled her down to straddle his lap.

Despite her ministrations, tension still seeped from every pore. However, the type had changed, and the superheated lust in his eyes told her exactly what kind of tension was boring into her.

“I know what you’re doing,” he said almost like a threat. “
If you’ll
take off your clothes, I’ll give you something much better to remember me by.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said, feigning innocence.

“Oh yes, you do.” His hands held her in place while his hips pulsed upward three times causing the ridge of his rock-hard dick to rub in just the right spot.

She gasped at the pleasurable sensation.

“I’m going to give you the ride of your life, Katriona MacKenzie. Close your eyes.”

She didn’t hesitate a second. She trusted Dillon with far more than her body so allowing him to give her the ride of her life was a no-brainer.

First, he removed her blouse and bra. He used the bra to tie her hands together in front of her and the blouse to blindfold her. Then he set her on her feet and took off her jeans, panties, socks, and shoes. Each action was accentuated by the strategic touch of his fingers to her bare skin.

Once she was naked, she heard Dillon disposing of the rest of his clothes and ripping two condom packets. The anticipation made her knees weak and her sex ache. The problems and drama of the past few days evaporated. Primal need reigned.

Then silence set in. She couldn’t hear a sound other than the hum of the little refrigerator. “Dillon?”

“Yeah.”

She swallowed hard. “What are you doing?”

“Admiring.”

His fingers caressed her face and made a slow, sensuous trail down her neck, over her breasts, across her belly…and stopped. A few seconds passed before he touched spots on both sides of her stomach.

“What happened here?” he asked.

She stiffened.
Oh God, the stretch marks from Skye.
She gulped. Twice. “Odd, huh? I think I stretched too much.”

“I didn’t know that was possible. I stretch tons before and after every workout and never had that happen. Of course, my skin is much tougher than yours.”

When his lips tenderly kissed one mark and then the other, she breathed a sigh of relief. She’d escaped the moment without actually lying.

Dillon’s fingers continued their journey until they reached the V between her thighs. Her knees buckled when he stroked her hot, wet sex and plunged a finger inside her.

He caught her with one arm. “Oh no, you don’t,” he said teasingly. Then he took her bound hands and placed them around his neck. “Wrap your legs around me,” he instructed, hoisting her up.

As soon as she did, he aligned his dick, grasped her hips, and drove into her. She cried out, not in pain, but in relief to have him inside her.

“Ride me, Katriona,” he ground out, revealing how good it felt to him also.

As she raised and lowered herself on the hard shaft, he pumped his hips to push as deep into her as possible. In moments, pressure built, and she exploded.

When her legs slipped down, she would’ve been clinging to his neck if Dillon hadn’t grabbed her bottom and held her up against him.

He laughed. “Whoa, cowgirl. Don’t fall off the bucking bronco. Besides, your ride isn’t over.”

“Dillon, I can’t—” she said breathlessly.

“Yes, you can.” He started to walk, but the blindfold prevented her from seeing where he was going. On the way though, his lips closed around a nipple and sucked it into his hot mouth. Her back arched, and her legs wrapped around his waist again as desire zinged to her core. Lust reignited.

He released her nipple and captured her mouth as the same time he rested her back against the cold, rough, concrete wall. His hot body pressed against her front, the smooth, slick skin and heat creating a strong contrast with the surface behind her.

“I don’t want you to scratch your back. Hold still, cowgirl, and I’ll do all the work.”

With his hands securing her in place, he pumped his hips, his dick filling her with each thrust. Immediately, her muscles coiled tighter and tighter, wanting another release.

“Come, Dillon,” she pleaded.

“No.” The sound was more of a grunt than a word.

It didn’t matter. She was already cascading over the edge and nothing could stop the mind-blowing orgasm.

Before she recovered, Dillon was on the move again. He dropped onto the futon with a solid thump. His dick still inside her, he scooted back on the lumpy mattress, lay down, and unhooked her hands from his neck. Gently, he pushed Kat upright.

“Okay, cowgirl, last ride.”

The word
last
grabbed her by the throat and wouldn’t let go. It threatened to strangle her. Did he mean her last climax today or the last time they’d ever make love? She didn’t really want to know so she didn’t ask. But she’d be damned before she let him go without his own release.

“Untie me,” she said, holding out her hands.

“Why?”

“So I can keep my balance.”

“Okay.”

And she sure as hell wanted to watch him come so…“Blindfold off too, please.”

“Fine.”

She almost came apart when she opened her eyes. A gorgeous specimen of a man was stretched out beneath her. His muscles bulged, and his skin shone with a light coating of sweat. A shock of midnight hair was splayed across his forehead. Intense blue eyes framed by thick, black lashes gazed up at her with love and longing.
Oh, please don’t let this be the last time.
She burned the image into her memory, just in case.

“Something wrong? Too tired to handle the stud, cowgirl?” he asked, a bad-boy smirk twisting his sculpted lips.

“Not a chance, cowboy. Hang on tight.”

Their gazes locked.

She rode him slowly, sensuously, wiggling, circling with each rise and fall. She leaned forward and used her fingertips to tease his nipples and toy with his chest hair. Increasing the pace, she rode him hard, plunging from tip to base with each move.