Burning (PAVAD: FBI Romantic Suspense Book 11) Read online

  The table laughed, which was exactly what she had intended. Still, the first time the small robot had zoomed around her bedroom with her bra in a basket in its stomach—for lack of a better description—she’d been a little unnerved.

  If she ever got the chance she was so going to take it apart and see how it worked.

  Or ask Luc to give her one she could tinker with in her spare time—if she ever got spare time again.

  This was an aberration for her lately, wasn’t it?

  She’d missed her friends and the off-the-clock times they’d had to be together. She was now the only one not married. They all had either husbands, kids, or husbands and kids, or kids-on-the-way.

  Things changed quickly, didn’t they?

  “Well, look there.” Paige pointed toward the door behind Cody when they’d been hanging out for about half an hour. Cody looked over her shoulder. “Three of a set. Thought we agreed to leave the boys at home, ladies?”

  “Yeah, forgot to tell Seth where I was going. I thought he was working late; I guess not. His team has been overloaded lately.”

  And there he was, right in the middle of his brothers. They were wearing similar suits, but it was obvious to her which brother was which. She doubted she’d ever have trouble telling them apart again.

  Cody didn’t want to see him, but it didn’t surprise her a bit when the brothers immediately headed in their direction.

  Smokey had dancing on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights. And Seth and Sebastian would take any opportunity to wrap themselves around their wives.

  She knew that from personal experience.

  Sin took the chair beside her, even though there were others available. She tried not to over-analyze what it meant. Every nerve in her body went instantly on alert, like he was a magnet pulling her in his direction.

  Seth and Sebastian immediately pulled their wives to the dance floor. She looked around for reinforcements, but Paige and Payton had disappeared, and Kelly was at the counter grabbing their drinks. She looked back at Cody and waved.

  Yeah, Kelly was plotting against her.

  He leaned in closer. “You’ve been avoiding me.”

  “No, I haven’t.” Yes, she had. That had seemed to be the safest choice she could make. “I’ve been busy.”

  “With the smart house. With your daughter. With anything you can use to avoid me.” He leaned closer. “Dance with me.”

  “Excuse me?” In twenty plus years she had never danced with Sin. She didn’t exactly want to start tonight.

  “I know it changed things. What happened two days ago. Show me that you’re not afraid.”

  But she was. And she didn’t want to even think about it with his brothers right there, so close. If Seb—or Seth, for that matter—thought Sin was harassing her, they’d say something.

  And she’d seen the results of that before. There was one memorable family wedding that had ended up with Seth breaking Sin’s nose over something that Sin had said to her.

  Of course, the brothers had been nineteen at the time. And she’d been fourteen and full of boiling emotions.

  She couldn’t even remember what had been said. Just how angry she had been.

  “Dance with me.” He stood and held out a hand to her. “Come on.”

  She stood. Put her hand in his. Let him lead her to the dance floor. Like a complete and total idiot.

  She tried not to stand there like a total goon when he slipped his arms around her and started moving to the music.

  This was Sin. It should have been just like dancing with Seth—or with the man she’d been married to for over five years.

  Same height, weight, same way of holding themselves. The exact same body, right? It shouldn’t feel like this, should it?

  “Relax. Nothing’s going to happen in the middle of this dance floor.” He was laughing at her, wasn’t he?

  “No. Of course not. And quit telling me to relax. It’s annoying.” He smelled differently than his brother. Sebastian preferred woodsy colognes. Seth usually didn’t use any. Sin’s aftershave had a spice to it that she couldn’t recognize. She tried.

  It distracted her for a moment. Distracted her from the fact that her breasts were pushed up against his chest, that his hand was low on her back and the other held her fingers in his. “What are you doing here, Sin?”

  “Looking for you.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I’ve tried for two days to get a moment alone with you. And when Seb said you were going to be here tonight, I seized the chance.”

  “I see. What do you need?” They’d had a moment alone since then. He just hadn’t said anything.

  “I don’t think that’s a question you truly want to think about right now. Not in front of my idiot brothers and your friends. I’ve done some thinking since then. But I don’t think you want to talk about it here. Did you drive here tonight?”

  “Yes.”

  “I see. Tyler’s with the Brockmans.”

  “Lucy, too. Great big party over there. I heard some of the Reynolds kids were going to be there, too.”

  “So you’ll be alone.”

  “Yes, I guess.” She wasn’t paying much attention to what he was saying. All she could think about was the press of him against her. And what she wanted to do about it. He wasn’t Seb. He was Sin. Sin, Sin, Sin. To think anything about him was absolutely crazy. A sane woman wouldn’t even think what it was she was thinking.

  Feeling.

  She couldn’t do this. Not with him. “I can’t. Sin, I just can’t.”

  She pulled away when the music ended and returned to the table. It was just safer that way.

  Chapter 33

  He normally didn’t frequent bars, but celebrating Agent Knight’s return to work after being shot and recovering from a paralyzing injury deserved special attention from him, didn’t it?

  And he had to admit Smokey’s was a nice place, and he was comfortable here. The onion rings were definitely worth it.

  Ed Dennis’ people were everywhere though, and seemed to have taken over the back tables closest to the dance floor. He studied them for a moment. Ed certainly picked the best of the best, didn’t he? They were good looking, confident, and very intelligent—or so he’d heard.

  He’d not seen a large amount of PAVAD agents all together before. And he found them interesting.

  Three men came in. Identical, except for hair-length. People stopped to stare—the men were tall and good-looking, he supposed. And when did one see three identical men?

  He looked at Knight, on his left. “Do you know who they are?”

  They headed straight to the PAVAD crowd and settled around three women.

  Knight nodded. “Lorcans. Head of Team Three for the CCU, no less. The other two, I’m not sure but I know they are with the Bureau. Seth is the one on the right. He’s married to Alessandra Brockman. The guy with the redhead is Sebastian, Team Three. The other one must be the other brother. Sin, I think. No one knows what he does.”

  Sin Lorcan was a very important name to those of high enough security clearance to know it.

  The Bloodhound, is what they called them.

  Rumor had it if he came anywhere near your position, he was sniffing out all the dirt hidden. And he wouldn’t stop until he found it.

  And he was hanging around with Dennis’ people? That could mean disaster for him, couldn’t it?

  No. The Bloodhound would not interfere with his plans. He’d need to be distracted, but how?

  Every man had a weakness. He knew that very well. And most of the time that weakness was located in a man’s trousers. It was just a fact.

  “Who is the woman beside him? I’m not sure I’ve seen her before. The brunette.”

  ‘That is Agent Merrick Cody. She’s connected to the Lorcans somehow, but I’m not sure of the details.”

  He watched the woman for a moment, trying not to think about his ex who had been built just like that. It was obvious that Sin Lorcan and the wom
an were close, wasn’t it?

  Maybe that was his answer. Her.

  Keep the Bloodhound distracted with the woman, while he did the things he needed to do.

  He’d need to find out everything he could about Agent Cody. Everything. His security clearance would make that more than easy to do.

  Agent Cody left the table first. And he seized his chance. Agent Lorcan said something to his brothers and stood. He followed her out.

  Nothing else to do but follow them, was there?

  Lorcan was damned determined, wasn’t he? He watched the man grab Agent Cody’s arm and stop her. Lorcan waited until she pulled out of the parking lot, then went back inside.

  It was a simple matter of pulling out and following at a reasonable distance behind her.

  She must have lived a fair distance from the bar, and he seized his chance when he knew traffic would thin. It was late, no one would get a good look at him.

  And he wasn’t going to hurt her; not seriously.

  He was just going to wing her car enough to frighten her. If he knew women, and he’d like to think that he did, the first person she’d call would be the man who had just been wrapped around her on the dance floor.

  He sped up.

  Within two minutes he was laughing.

  Mission accomplished.

  Her sedan was nose deep in the ditch. He sped off, cutting through the traffic like the experienced tactical drive that he was.

  Chapter 34

  This wasn’t like before, wasn’t like Hugh. Cody kept telling herself that, as she was helped out of her car by a man. Another older man joined them. She wasn’t alone; and she had her weapon on her like Luc had always insisted. They weren’t on a side road, he hadn’t blocked her car, and there were people there willing to help her.

  She took the help that was offered, and let the man who’d stopped to assist her out of the ditch.

  The damage wasn’t that bad, was it? Her front fender was damaged, she’d have to check before she drove it. But she would be able to fix it herself, if she had the time. After she made it out of the ditch.

  “Ma’am, is there someone we can call for you?” The older man asked. Cody recognized him as being from the St. Louis field office.

  “I have my cell.” She could call Seth and Al, or Seb, or Kelly or Luc. Any of them.

  So why did he fingers automatically dial Sin’s number?

  ***

  He was feeling like a definite fifth wheel between his brothers and their wives. Paige Brockman had left with Payton and Kelly Reynolds, so it was just his brothers, his sisters-in-law…and him. Not his favorite way to spend the evening.

  “I wish Cody had stayed. But I can tell she was tired,” Al said. “She’s had it rough lately, that’s for sure.”

  “Yes, she has.” Sebastian had that worried look in his eyes again. “But she’s strong. She can handle it.”

  Sin wondered if his brother was a fucking idiot. Anyone who looked closely at her could see how she was struggling. Could see she needed someone besides that damned billionaire and the Brockmans’ to help.

  His phone buzzed and he grabbed it quickly.

  Her name flashed across his screen. He looked at his brothers. Sin didn’t want to have a conversation with her while his brothers listened in. “Excuse me, I need to take this. It’s urgent.”

  “Of course,” Seth said. The others barely looked in his direction.

  Sin stepped outside.

  “Merrick? What’s wrong?” She hadn’t been gone long enough to get home. And he knew she didn’t talk on the phone while driving.

  “Someone ran me off the road. I need…I need someone to come get me. I thought about calling Seb, but he and Carrie don’t get many evenings out together. Same for Al and Seth. I could call Luc or one of his bodyguards, but…Luc tends to go overboard. Full SWAT with his guards, at times.”

  “I’ll be right there. I need to tell Seb and Seth I am leaving and to find their own rides home.”

  “Don’t mention to them what happened.”

  “I won’t.”

  She needed someone. And she’d called him. He was damned well going to get there as fast as he could.

  ***

  There were people surrounding her when he pulled up. He left his engine running, and almost ran to her.

  Her car was tail up in the ditch. Fifteen more feet and she would have went into a larger ditch and possibly flipped her car over.

  Sin pulled her straight into his arms and held her head against his shoulder for a moment. He looked at the man closest to him, someone he recognized. “Sir? What are you doing here?”

  “I left Smokey’s a bit after Agent Cody. I saw what happened and figured I’d stay. Until someone could get here with her.”

  “What was it you saw?” The agent was head of the St. Louis field office, and Sin knew she had been safe with him. Some of his tension lessened.

  “A dark SUV came up behind her. He was weaving pretty erratically. I couldn’t catch his plate, but I was already calling it in when he brushed her back bumper and sent her spinning. I didn’t realize it was Agent Cody until that gentlemen helped her from the vehicle. The locals are already on their way to take her statement. I put in a call to a friend to get them quickly.”

  Sin shook his hand. “Thank you, sir. It’s appreciated.”

  “Of course. I wish I could have stopped him, but it happened too quickly. I’ll leave her in your capable hands. If they need my statement I’ll fax it in. It was a larger SUV, perhaps an Envoy or Tahoe. Wish I could have seen more.”

  “Thank you again. I’ll take care of her from here.”

  “See that you do, son.”

  Sin didn’t care about the other man. He just wanted everyone gone so he could deal with Merrick. She was holding him and shaking.

  And how could he blame her? Schild had followed her home from Smokey’s, then driven her off the road in much the same manner.

  Tonight had probably been the carelessness of a drunk driver. But it had to bring back terrifying memories of what had happened to her before.

  The crowd dispersed as if Bell’s exit had been a cue. Then it was Sin and Merrick and the guy who’d helped her from the car.

  The first local arrived. Sin greeted him quickly, keeping her close. She drew in a deep breath and stepped away as she pulled her composure around her.

  The local took their statements, then waited while Merrick called a tow vehicle to have her car pulled home.

  Sin wanted to order it taken back to the PAVAD garage and use all of the division’s resources to find the bastard who’d scared her so badly. But that was unreasonable and a complete misuse of his power. He settled with her calling that idiot billionaire and having the car taken back to the man’s onsite garage. Apparently Lucas kept his own mechanics on the property.

  Sin looked at her. “Why?”

  “Luc designed my car with some security upgrades when he brought me Lucy. He claims they are research prototypes, but whatever alloy he’d coated the front with kept the damage at a minimum. His people will have to take a look.”

  “I see.” He’d make a point of speaking to the man and saying thank you, no matter how it grated.

  “He has done the same to Payton’s car, and Paige’s. And I believe he worked out something with Sebastian to do Carrie’s. He may have done Mick’s, as well. He claims we’re his experimental rats. I think it’s just his way of protecting people he cares about.”

  She was down in the ditch now, studying the front of her car. He’d always known she had a thing for cars. Even when she was far too young to drive, she was trying to learn about how engines functioned. And as a teenager she’d bloomed as a mechanic under her father’s tutelage.

  “Come on. Get out of the ditch, it’s wet down there.”

  “I’ll be fine, Sin. I think my car will, too. I’m sorry I called you. I could have just called Luc to begin with. That would have made the most sense. I don’t know what I was thin
king.”

  “No.” He stepped closer. “If you have trouble, you can call me at any time. I mean that. I want you to call me.”

  He pulled her closer and kissed her quickly before she could even think to pull away. He needed to touch her, and he couldn’t deny it. “I want you to need me, Merrick. You’d better get used to that. I’m tired of fighting with you. Of fighting with myself. Let’s get your car dealt with and then I will take you home. And we’ll talk.”

  ***

  He was tired of fighting with himself, what did that mean? And what did he mean when he’d said that about wanting her to need him? She was too frazzled to even think about figuring the man out right now.

  Luc’s men were quick; something she’d definitely counted on. They had her car loaded onto a trailer within fifteen minutes. Terrance, one of Luc’s top men, patted her on the back.

  “We’ll get it taken care of, and I’m sure the boss will have you a loaner at the house first thing in the morning.”

  She nodded, knowing it was useless to argue with Luc—or his men. Either she accepted the loaner or the car would simply appear in her driveway. It was Luc’s way.

  But sometimes it grated how he tried to ‘keep’ her at times.

  Of course, he’d tried it a few times with Mick, too. Luc’s brother-in-law hadn’t taken it very well at all. But Mick was one of Luc’s best friends, too. It was an equal gender kind of keeping Luc attempted at times. Payton was gradually teaching him more appropriate ways to show how he cared.

  Sin was staring at Luc’s men as they drove away. “He’s just going to loan you a car? And you’re going to let him? Where’s the pride that kept you from accepting Seb’s help with a heavy box twelve years ago?”

  She smiled, remembering the silly argument Sin had witnessed. She and Seb had often butted heads about her being too independent at times. “Luc isn’t trying to be controlling. But he takes his role as Lucy’s godfather seriously. And he honestly doesn’t realize how he comes across.”