WAY OF THE SHADOWS (14 page)

She parked the truck and hurried inside the cabin. She opened her mouth to call out to Thomas, but stopped when she caught sight of him near the fireplace.

He wore only a pair of loose jogging pants. His back was to her. Strong, broad. He was moving fluidly, as his hands struck out above him and his feet lifted in a series of blurring kicks.

Martial arts. She didn’t recognize any of his moves but she’d read in his file he’d studied tae kwon do, jujitsu, krav maga and aikido.

She shut the door behind her then leaned back against the wall and just watched him.

Admired him.

His muscles stretched. Flexed. His skin gleamed golden in the firelight. He turned to the left. Then the right. His strikes were fast and powerful.

And she kept watching.

Noelle wasn’t sure how much time passed, but after a while, Thomas turned to slowly face her. His eyes seemed to reflect the fire.

“What was...?” She stopped, cleared her throat and tried again. “What was that?”

“
Choong-Jang,
a black belt form for tae kwon do.” He rolled back his shoulders and regarded her with a locked jaw.

“Does that...help you relax?”

“Sometimes.” He shook his head and took a step toward her. “Not this time.”

She tensed. Mercer’s words seemed to echo through her mind. She wanted to ask Thomas if the EOD director’s story was true. Had Thomas really been there, in the background for so much of her life?

She stopped less than a foot away from him. Helplessly, her gaze slid over his body. The man had a truly magnificent chest. So muscled. Strong.

“The scars will always be there.”

Her gaze jerked up to his face. “I wasn’t looking at your scars.” She’d been more focused on the muscles.

His laughter was rough. “They slide all across me. It’s hard to miss them.”

“I think I was distracted by other things,” she murmured, aware her cheeks were stinging.

One dark brow rose.

She tried to pull in a steadying breath. It didn’t work so much. Noelle didn’t feel steady at all. She was nervous. Tense. And...

“We go back to D.C. soon,” she blurted.

He nodded.

“Mercer told me that my job as an FBI liaison with the EOD is done. For now, anyway.”

That news had him frowning. “You’re leaving?”

I don’t want to leave him.

“How often have you watched me?” The question slipped from her.

His hand rose to stroke her cheek. “I don’t want to scare you. I
never
want to do that.”

She turned her head and kissed his palm. She felt the tension thicken around them. “You don’t.” The darkness that clung to him had never frightened her. The power he possessed just made her feel safe because Noelle knew he’d protect her.

It was what he’d always done.

“I used to dream about you,” he whispered, the words rough. “At first, the dreams were the girl I left in that cabin. You were scared and you were crying out for me.”

Pain echoed in his voice.

“I’m not scared any longer.” She’d worked hard to become stronger.

“Then the dreams changed because
you
changed.” His hand slid away from her as his shoulders straightened. “I started to dream about the woman you’d become.”

Maybe...maybe Mercer was right. “What do you want from me?” Noelle asked him and she held her breath as she waited for his response.

At his sides, Thomas’s hands balled into fists. “I’m a desperate man. I’ve been that way...too long.” His gaze held hers. “I want whatever you’ll give me.”

I’ll give you everything.
Maybe she already had. She moved toward him and eliminated that little bit of space. Her hands curled around his shoulders. Then Noelle put her lips on his.

She was making a choice. Choosing
him.
Noelle needed Thomas to understand that. Just as she needed him to choose her. Her mouth moved lightly on his, caressing.

His hands rose and locked around her hips. She could feel the strength of his arousal pressing against her.

“I don’t want just one more night.” His words were growled against her lips. “With you, I want forever. I can’t have another taste just to lose you when we leave this place.”

His words broke her heart. Noelle shook her head. “You won’t lose me.” He was what she wanted. The past was done. The ghosts
—dead.
She wanted to focus on the future, and she wasn’t going to let any fears hold her back.

Mercer had been right on that score.

Thomas kissed her again, and the kiss was harder. Deeper. He took control, and she felt the passion pour through her. She couldn’t get close enough to him. Couldn’t feel him enough.

They stumbled together up the stairs. When she slipped, his grasp on her tightened. He lifted her up, holding her easily.

She kept kissing him.

Then they were in the bedroom. He tugged off her clothes, stripping her quickly, and her hands swept over his shoulders. His chest.

He eased her toward the bed, but Noelle didn’t fall back on the mattress. Instead, she lowered to her knees before him, and her lips skimmed over the scars on his chest and stomach. Scars that mattered to him but not to her. The scars told her how strong he was. How he’d survived.

But that was all.

To her, Thomas was perfect.

He caught her hands, though, when her lips skimmed low on his stomach, and he pushed her back. “I can’t—” His words ended in a growl as he lifted her up and settled her on the bed.

This wasn’t about seduction or finesse. This was about need and desire in its most primal, pure form.

He ditched the rest of his clothes. His fingers caught hers, pinned them to the bed. With his eyes on her, he thrust inside. Her breath caught as he surged deep, then her legs lifted and wrapped around him. She held him tight, and when he began to thrust, she met him, arching her body eagerly.

They rolled over the bed, twisting and turning as the passion surged hotter and harder. Her nails scraped over his back. The pleasure was just out of her reach.
So close.

His fingers freed hers. He touched her between her legs, finding just the spot that had her gasping, then shuddering in release.

He was with her. Thrusting deep and hard. Shaking the bed. Shaking her. Making the pleasure ripple through her once more.

“Too...good...” He groaned the words. “Can’t...get enough...with you....”

Noelle felt the same way with him. She wondered if it would ever be enough, or if the need would grow and—

He drove into her once more.

Pleasure lashed through her.

His release swept over him, stiffening Thomas’s body, and he held her in a grip of steel.

Noelle couldn’t catch her breath. Her heart raced frantically, the sound a drumbeat in her ears. She was panting hard, her whole body quaking, and she tried to grab back control because there was something very important she needed to tell him.

I love you.

The truth had hit her when she was at the sheriff’s station. When Porter had tried to shatter her trust in Thomas, and she’d realized
nothing
could break her trust in him.

Not because he was her partner.

But because he was the man who’d worked his way into her heart.

Her lips parted.

Thomas kissed her again.

* * *

“Y
OU
’
RE
KILLING
HER
!”
Patrick yelled, his voice echoing back to him. “This one won’t be on me! It’s on you!
All of you!
”

The holding room door flew open and banged against the wall.

Patrick lowered his head so the man who’d rushed in wouldn’t see his smile.

“You had your chance to talk,” the guy snarled. “You didn’t. If you can’t stop the screams, then I’ll just shove a gag in your mouth.”

Patrick’s head snapped up. “That’s not the way cops work.”

“Who said I was a cop?” The man demanded.

Thomas stared into the fellow’s cold eyes. He took in the guy’s battle-ready posture. The hands, which were loose at his sides and the grim face, which could’ve been staring into hell.

I’ll show him hell.

“You’ll be leaving this place in about three hours,” the man told him flatly. “Settle down until then, or I will settle you down.”

Patrick stared back at him. Didn’t speak.

The guy gave a grim nod and turned away. Patrick waited until the fellow reached for the door.

“She’ll still be alive in three hours,” Patrick mused. “At least, I think she will. Guess it depends on how long she can stand the cold out there, all alone.”

The man glanced back at him. Patrick knew the guy was trying to judge him. To see if he was telling the truth or if he was just spinning a new lie.

“I got tired of Lawrence Duncan sending me out to do
his
work. I was tired of killing for him,” he waited a beat, then added slyly, “and for her.”

“Her?” The guy’s brows climbed.

Patrick gave a slow nod. “They were working together. Always were. She would slip in and get the intel he needed. People talk so much easier to a pretty face, and Paula sure has a pretty face.” He whistled, remembering the other features he enjoyed about her. “But I figured, if I’m done with Duncan, then I’m done with her, too.”

“You’re trying to say you’ve abducted—”

“The senator’s aide, Paula Quill.” His fingers curled around the bars. “And if you want her to keep living,
you’ll get me out of here!
”

Chapter Eleven

He wasn’t going to let her go. Thomas lifted his head and stared down into Noelle’s unforgettable eyes as he tried to find the right words to tell her. No one had ever meant as much to him as she did, and the last thing he wanted to do was mess up anything with her.

He’d already botched things enough already. He had to use care.

And not bulldoze his way ahead.

He withdrew from her body, hating the separation because the woman felt like heaven. If he had his way, he’d stay curled with her for hours. Days.

But...

Duty waited.

So did the plane.

Before they boarded and left Alaska, he needed to clear the air between them.

But his phone was ringing. Thomas frowned as the buzzing reached him. The sound was coming from downstairs because he’d left it down there earlier. When Noelle had kissed him, answering it had been the last thing on his mind.

Noelle blinked, obviously hearing the sound, too. “Ah, are you expecting someone?”

No, Mercer had said they were clear until takeoff. He brushed his hand over the silken length of her arm. “I’ll be right back. Don’t...don’t move, okay? We need to talk.” As soon as he could figure out how to say the right words.

She gave a slow nod.

Thomas yanked on his jogging pants and hurried downstairs. The caller wasn’t giving up; that was for sure. Thomas grabbed the phone, then tensed when he saw the number on the screen. He lifted the phone to his ear. “Anthony.”

“Do you know where Paula Quill is right now?” Aaron demanded.

Thomas glanced toward the stairs. “The senator’s aide? She’s been staying at his house in Camden, so check for her there.”

“We did. We’ve called and sent a deputy over to that place, but the staff there say that they haven’t seen her since before the big storm swept in.”

“So she went out to visit friends before the bad weather hit.” His eyes were still on the stairs. He didn’t hear any sound from overhead. “Get the woman’s cell number and—”

“We’ve called her cell.” Tension deepened Aaron’s voice. “There’s no answer.”

Thomas hesitated. “Why are her whereabouts so important to you?”

“Because that joker in lockup is screaming that he has her hidden in the wilderness, and he says the only way she makes it out alive is if he goes back in for her.”

“What?”

“So we need you and Noelle back at the station, right now. Because if he’s not lying...”

Thomas’s gaze was now on the darkness beyond the window.
If Patrick is telling the truth, then Paula Quill could be out there right now, dying.

Thomas ended the call and raced back up the stairs. As soon as Noelle saw his expression, she leapt to her feet. “What’s happening?”

“Patrick Porter may have taken another victim.” They wouldn’t know for sure, not yet, but... “We have to get back to the station.”

She yanked on her clothes. “Who’s the victim?”

He dressed quickly, his movement jerky. “Paula Quill.”

“The senator’s aide?” She shook her head. “What do you think...? Is he—is he lying?”

Thomas hoped so, but a knot had formed in his gut. They finished dressing. When she started to rush past him, Thomas caught her arm. “Before we go, there’s something I need you to know.” Because he never wanted secrets between them again.

Noelle glanced back at him.

I don’t want to mess this up. She means too much to me.
The woman deserved wining and dining, not some rushed confession on their way to interrogate a prisoner.

“Thomas? What is it?”

“I will not leave you again.” The words rumbled, too deep. “You can count on me, no matter what.”

Her smile came then, spreading slowly over her face and lighting her eyes. “I already knew that.”

Okay.
Do it.
“Did you know I love you?”

Wait. Hell, he’d meant that to come out better. But charm had never been his strong suit.

She blinked up at him.

He cleared his throat. “I wanted you to know that.” He knew she didn’t love him, but maybe they could have
something
when they went back to D.C. “I don’t want us to end when the plane touches back down in D.C.”

“Thomas—”

“Let’s finish this case. Find out if Porter is telling the truth or just jerking us around and then...” He pushed back his shoulders. “Give me the chance to prove that you and I can work out. We can have something together.”
Something worth fighting for.

Her gaze searched his. Thomas wasn’t sure what she was looking for. If he knew, he’d give her everything she needed. “Noelle—”

His phone started ringing again.

Damn it!

“Give me the chance,” Thomas said again. Then there was nothing more to say. They had a killer to face.

* * *

“W
E
FOUND
THESE
images on Patrick Porter’s phone.” Mercer’s voice was grim.

Noelle stared down at the images. They showed a familiar woman—Paula Quill—tied to a chair. A blindfold covered her eyes.

“The jerk
told
us where to find the images on his phone. He’s taunting us, and he likes the power he has,” Mercer added.

Noelle looked up at the EOD boss.

“No one has seen Paula Quill in over twenty-four hours,” Mercer said.

“No one but Patrick,” Thomas said. “The time stamp on that image is six hours ago.”

Six hours. Time to live. Time to die.

Her gaze slid toward the holding-room door.

“He told Aaron that he’d lead us to Paula.” Mercer paused. “No, he said he’d lead
you
to her, Agent Evers.”

“That’s not happening!” Thomas snapped. “No way is Noelle going out in the wilderness with that guy!”

“Yes, well, I figured you’d say that, Anthony.” Mercer started to pace. “If the woman is out there, we need the search dogs. We need to patrol the area and find—”

“The area is too big. He left her out there to die.” Noelle’s voice was certain. She turned back to face Mercer. “He knew we were closing in. He wanted leverage.” No wonder he’d been so willing to sacrifice the other women. He’d had a backup plan all along. His ace in case he was captured. “Paula Quill is that leverage. If we don’t agree to go after her, then Paula is dead.”

Mercer shook his head. “The EOD—”

Noelle’s hand lifted. “Doesn’t negotiate. Right. I’ve heard the spiel before.” She pulled in a deep breath. “But I’m not EOD, not any longer. I got fired, remember? Now I’m back to being plain old FBI.”

Mercer studied her, his eyes narrowed.

“I’m not letting a woman die on my watch.”

Thomas surged toward her. “He sets traps. You know his game. And you’re just going to walk out with him—”

She laughed. “No,
we
are.” Because if Patrick had said he’d only take her to find Paula, then she knew exactly what he intended to do. “Patrick Porter wants me dead. I was the first victim who got away. He wants me out there, where he’s in control. He wants to kill me because I’m the one who came back and destroyed everything for him.”

A muscle flexed in Thomas’s jaw. “I’m
not
letting that happen.”

Right. She nodded. “I knew I could count on you.”

His brows shot up.

“You come with us. You watch my back. I’ll watch yours. We’ll get Paula out—”

“How do you know the guy will even lead you to her?” Mercer demanded as his words cut through hers.

Noelle had to shrug. “He wants me to see what he can do. It’s all a game to him.”

But he wasn’t going to win the game. She was. No matter what she had to do, she’d beat him.

She headed toward the holding room. Mercer caught her arm. “He said that Paula Quill was working with the senator. That she helped gather intel and plan hits on the senator’s targets.”

Her eyes widened.
Paula isn’t just an innocent victim.
“And you think she was tied to the attack on the EOD.”

“She’s a person of interest.” His lips tightened into a thin line. “I need her brought in alive.”

Because Mercer still wanted to know why the EOD had been set up for the attack in the first place.

“You’ve both got current tracking devices?” Mercer asked, frowning at them.

At the EOD, all agents had small devices implanted just beneath the skin. If his agents were taken by the enemy, Mercer wanted to be able to make certain they were rescued, no matter where they went.

Thomas nodded. So did Noelle. She’d gotten her chip right after she’d started in her liaison role.

Mercer’s attention shifted to Thomas. “Never let her out of your sight.”

“Don’t worry—it won’t happen.” Thomas was adamant.

Mercer held his stare a little longer, then he stepped back. He waved toward the holding-room door. “Do what you need to do.”

Noelle straightened her shoulders and marched forward. She schooled her expression so no emotion showed on her face when she entered the holding room—and saw Patrick in his cell. He smirked at her. He was so confident of his control and power. She needed to destroy that confidence. She
would.

Aaron stood just a few feet away, and he was glaring at their prisoner.

“Saw my pictures, did you?” Patrick asked her, voice nearly purring with satisfaction. “I was wondering how long it would take you to see them.”

“Why didn’t you tell us—immediately—that you’d taken her?” Noelle asked.

“I
would’ve
told you, but you’re the one who stopped talking to me.” His eyes sparked with fury. “So if she dies, you’re the one to blame for that.”

Thomas stalked to Noelle’s side. “You really think you’re just going to walk out of here with Agent Evers?”

“I think if I don’t go, you’ll never find Paula.”

His voice had softened a bit when he said the other woman’s name. Because she was his victim and he enjoyed his victims so much?

Enjoyed their suffering, their pain.

Noelle’s head inclined a bit as she studied him.

“Paula will vanish and her death will be on you two.” He shook his head. “And here I thought you were supposed to save people.”

“We did save Jenny,” Noelle pointed out to him because she wanted to see his response.

The fury flashed in his eyes again.
“Jenny,”
he bit out the name, “wasn’t worth my time. She wasn’t a challenge. She wasn’t anything to me. Just bait, to lure you out.”

“Isn’t that what Paula is, too?” Thomas wanted to know. “Bait. You stick her in the middle of nowhere, and you expect us to just follow your lead...right into whatever hell you’ve got waiting for us?”

Patrick laughed. “You have to do it! Because if you don’t, you both know she’s dead.” He pointed toward Noelle. “
She
can’t live with a death on her. You...” He waved dismissively toward Thomas. “You don’t care. People don’t matter to you.”

Yes, they did.
He didn’t know Thomas at all.

Patrick’s eyes were on Noelle. “But she won’t let an innocent die. She can’t. Seeing Paula tied up like that, it was like seeing yourself, wasn’t it?”

She didn’t let any emotion break through. “You’re a control freak, a man who thinks that he’s the strongest and the toughest in any room that he enters. But you weren’t always that way. In fact, you first killed Emma Jane because you felt weak.” She was about to show him just how much she knew. “You got a rush from her death, one unlike anything you’d ever felt before.”

He was still smirking at her.
That smirk is going to vanish.

“I don’t think you meant to
hunt
her. I think Emma Jane got away from you. She ran. You had to chase her. That’s when you began to like the hunt so much.”

His smirk slipped.

“You tried to recreate that rush by taking girls who reminded you of Emma Jane, but that just didn’t work.” She shook her head. “Then, of course, you found out your partner had been killed. That made you feel lost, isolated—and powerless. You hate to feel like you lack power—”

“Because I don’t! I never lack power!”

“Lucky for you, though, Duncan entered the picture then. He used you, but he also refocused you. The rush came back because your prey was more challenging, and you continued this way...for a while.”

His breath heaved out. “You think you’re so smart—”

“It was only a matter of time until you killed him. You couldn’t keep following his orders forever, even if you enjoyed the work. Following
his
orders meant he held power, not you. So when he pushed too far, when he told you to kill me and Agent Anthony
his
way, you snapped.”

Patrick glared at her.
And the smirk is gone.

“You’ll always snap in the end.” Noelle sighed as if she pitied him. She didn’t. She hated him. “Control is your weakness.”

His hands flew out from behind the bars, lunging toward her, but he was too far away to do any damage. His fingers stretched uselessly into the air.

“You think you’ll get power by taking me into the wilderness, leading me on a hunt for Paula, then killing me.” She glanced from his hands to his face. “That won’t happen.”

“Your death is overdue,” he snarled at her.

“So is yours,” Thomas fired right back.

Patrick’s hands jerked backed through the bars.

“I go with you,” Thomas said, voice hard. “You’re cuffed, and you’re within sight at all times. You take us to Paula and—”

“And what do I get?”

Noelle knew it wasn’t really about what he’d get. Obviously, the man planned to try and kill them out there. But she played along, for now. “You get to walk outside once a day when you get to your future prison home. You can see the sun, and not live every single minute pinned behind bars.”

She waited.

Patrick’s jaw was clenched.

“Deal?” Noelle pressed because she didn’t know how much time Paula had left.

“Deal,”
Patrick snarled. But his eyes... His eyes were glinting with triumph.

* * *

T
HOMAS
STAYED
RIGHT
beside Noelle as they approached the cabin. A helicopter had brought them in as they’d followed Patrick Porter’s gritted instructions.