Deadly Promises

  An hour later, Jeremy closed the door after the last officer left. The intruder was on his way to the Marietta City lockup and bail wouldn't be set before tomorrow morning.

  Jeremy walked to the kitchen where CeCe sat at the table, silent as a trapped mouse.

  He didn't think the company she contracted from would just willingly hand over her address to anyone, but he couldn't find out more until tomorrow when Double Take was open. Right now, CeCe needed comfort more than questions.

  Jeremy asked, "Do you want to call your brother?"

  "No." She glanced up, eyes widening with fear, then must have realized how that sounded--like she was afraid of her brother. "He would pack me up and have me moved before daylight."

  Jeremy couldn't fault her brother for that since the idea of bundling her off somewhere safe had crossed his mind more than once tonight.

  "I-I don't want to stay here tonight," she whispered.

  As if he'd let her stay alone tonight. "You can stay with me."

  "What about dinner?" She gave him a shaky smile that teetered close to tears. "I'm never going to pay all my debts to you at the rate I'm going."

  "You don't owe me a thing." He walked over to pull her up out of the chair. "But I won't turn down dinner together." He kissed her gently. "We'll order in at my house."

  She wrapped her arms around his back, hugging fiercely. He hated that she was still so shaken by the encounter.

  When she pulled away to look up at him, he saw hope warming her eyes. Hope that he'd go along with the idea of an affair behind locked doors?

  If she asked him right now, he would deny her nothing. Seeing her in danger had vanished any thoughts of his earlier decision to break things off now before it was too late.

  In fact, when he'd heard her life being threatened Jeremy realized it was too late to walk away clean. He'd have died a thousand deaths tonight if anything had happened to her.

  Letting her go would be the final death of his soul.

  She chewed on her lip, indecision warring again in her gaze. "I'm really glad you were here tonight and I don't want you to take this wrong, but I have to ask you something." Her voice shook nervously.

  "Ask." He had an idea what she was going to say. She hadn't liked it one bit when he'd told her they'd have dinner as friends. He considered jumping in first to let her know she meant much more than anyone he'd ever considered a friend, but she didn't give him a chance.

  "Is there a legal reason you can't get a gun permit, Jeremy?"

  "WHAT DO YOU mean you couldn't get Dorvan sprung?" Starface adjusted the listening volume on his Bluetooth headset, not believing his ears. "It's nine in the fucking morning! They've had him twelve hours." He stomped around his apartment in midtown Atlanta. He'd been up all night trying to find out what had happened to Dorvan.

  Now he wanted to know why one of the best defense attorneys in the Southeast couldn't get bail set.

  "Marietta hasn't set bail"--his asthmatic legal counsel spoke in short phrases and a voice too soft to belong to the barracuda this man could be in a courtroom--"because the FBI showed up... early this morning." He wheezed softly. "They took Dorvan before the courts opened."

  "When are they going to let him see his attorney?" Starface growled.

  "Soon as he's processed. No telling how long... that will take." The attorney took a long pause then asked, "Why does the FBI want him?"

  Starface wasn't sharing that information with anyone. "I don't know. Just get him out of there."

  Dorvan was of no use and Starface needed that photo card now before Ziggy sent someone for his ass. He hung up and dialed another resource. When the connection was made, he picked up the notes he'd given Dorvan yesterday and told his new tracker, "Easy contract to locate a woman. She works for a group called Double Take. Find her today and I'll double your standard fee."

  And pay him a bonus to take care of another loose end if Dorvan spilled his guts.

  JEREMY WALKED FROM the bathroom into his bedroom wearing his jeans and toweling his hair dry. Early morning daylight bled through cracks in the blinds, adding to the soft glow from a lamp on the nightstand.

  He stopped dead in his tracks.

  CeCe lay sprawled across his bed on her stomach facing away from him, propped up on her elbows and engrossed in a magazine. That sweet bottom of hers peeked out from under the tail of one of his shirts. No underwear.

  Have mercy.

  Once he'd gotten her relaxed at his house last night, he'd joked with her about having dessert in bed only to take her mind off what had happened at her house. The last thing he'd wanted to do was make an overt move toward making love that might scare her worse after a man had threatened her at gunpoint.

  But she'd wanted to make love with an almost desperate need he understood. To know she wasn't vulnerable. He'd let her take the lead, giving her what she needed to feel in control.

  None of that would have happened if he hadn't figured his way out of her question about the gun permit. He told her he'd gone to jail as a teenager for boosting cars, had done his time and paid the price for his crimes, which he had.

  Then he'd waited for her judgment and hoped she didn't ask more since the crimes he'd committed were the least damning entry on his current rap sheet.

  She'd accepted his explanation and come over to his house, where they'd ordered pizza and watched movies until late.

  Like a normal couple.

  And now she should be fully dressed since she'd showered first, but no, she was stretched out on her stomach on his bed facing away from him. She casually kicked one foot up and down, preoccupied with the magazine she was reading.

  He had to get her off that bed and completely covered up for any hope of leaving here without using another condom. "What time does your brother land today?"

  "Vinny gets in late this morning," she answered over her shoulder.

  That hadn't gotten her attention like it had last night when he'd pressed her about calling her brother.

  She'd finally explained how her three older brothers would all show up on Jeremy's doorstep looking for blood if they knew she was here. Vinny had been designated to oversee her adjustment to living away from home for the first six months, but they would all take turns checking on her.

  Now Jeremy understood why she'd run him out of her house so early yesterday. Not simply because she thought it would be awkward for him and Vinny. She thought if her brother had caught Jeremy in her bed Vinny might have harmed him.

  He smiled to himself. He could deal with a couple of posturing brothers any day. "Aren't you worried about Vinny showing up unexpectedly?"

  "No. He wouldn't give me the wrong flight information just to catch me off guard." CeCe rolled over on her back and that view almost sent him to his knees.

  "You need to get dressed."

  "I'm as dressed as you are, just that my top half is covered where you've got jeans on." She smiled, enjoying her defiance.

  "It's not the same when your bottom half is uncovered. I've got a meeting in an hour." In total conflict with his words, his feet started moving toward the bed. He tossed the towel to the floor and dropped down over her, his knees on each side of her legs. He used one arm to brace his weight.

  She reached up and hooked her fingers around his neck to tug him closer, then smoothed his damp hair from his face. Warmth curled through his chest at the impish smile she gave him.

  "What are you smiling about?"

  "How nice it is to be here with you." Her eyes glittered with so much happiness the room should be sparkling. "But if you're really in a rush to get me out of your bed..." Her words drifted off in a whisper. She shrugged.

  Jeremy leaned down and kissed her. As if on autopilot, his free hand slid beneath the shirt--his shirt--covering her. He needed to feel her to know she was still here and real. That this woman wasn't dashing out the door with no plans of coming back.

  That she wanted him as much as he wanted her.

  When his fingers clo
sed around her breast, she moaned. He caressed the suddenly hard nipple, drawing his thumb slowly across the tip. She arched each time as though all the nerves in her body were attached to that tight little bud.

  Taking the kiss deeper, lost in her taste, he lowered his body until they were hip to hip. She rubbed up against the rigid cock inside his pants and he clenched his teeth.

  No, he sure as hell didn't want to push her out of his bed, but he was worried about last night.

  He didn't really have a meeting in an hour. But he had to wait for CeCe to leave so he could contact BAD to ask for a couple more days off, then have someone in BAD's tech department research criminals with a scar like the intruder's and crosscheck hits with Jeremy's incarceration history.

  He had a sneaking feeling about where he'd met that guy before.

  CeCe nipped at his lip, tempting him to forget about threats and research. Testing his control against spending every free minute exploring her body until her brother returned. But her safety was too important, so as much as Jeremy would love to use up another condom right now there was no time. He'd have to move this moment along quicker.

  But not until he had her satisfied.

  Like that would take long? He grinned against her soft lips, looking forward to watching her hit that high again.

  Unbuttoning her shirt, he kissed her neck and along her shoulders. She sighed and smiled, running her fingers through his hair playfully. Her hips twisted slowly from side to side driving him crazy with each stroke over his erection.

  When he moved his hand down her abdomen to slip his fingers between her thighs she made a desperate sound and opened for him. He kissed the creamy skin surrounding two pert nipples then suckled one plump breast.

  CeCe arched up, a guttural groan vibrating her chest.

  Jeremy plunged a finger inside her and she tightened around him. Her thighs clenched. When he pistoned his finger in and out, in and out, her breaths came faster. Teething her nipple lightly, he pulled his finger completely out and stroked across the one spot that would send her reeling.

  Three strokes and... liftoff.

  She cried out and gripped his head, clutching him to her taut body.

  Sweat broke out across his skin. He'd never get over how fast this woman climaxed.

  When the last shudder passed through her she flopped back down on the bed, spent and panting. He ached, seriously ached, to continue, but after the past two nights he knew continuing could go on for a long time with her.

  His mouth sought hers. Kissing her had become as natural as breathing, and just as essential to his survival. He wrapped her in his arms and rolled until she lay on top of him. She broke the kiss, lowering her head to his chest. Soft waves of brunette hair blanketed his chest.

  "We'll get to you... as soon as I catch my breath," she mumbled.

  "That'll have to wait until later." He rubbed her bare bottom with his hand, then thought better of that and moved his fingers up her back before he instigated another round.

  She huffed out a deep breath, reached up to place her hand on his chest, and shoved up. Her eyes tilted with a curious look. "Will I see you later?"

  He pushed a handful of hair off her face and cupped her cheek. "Depends."

  "On what?"

  "Your brother, from what you said. If I had a sister that looked like you, I'd keep her away from someone like me too," he teased.

  She leaned down and kissed his chest, raising her gaze to his. "But I don't want to be kept away from you. I've been letting my family coddle me for too long. I came here to build a new life on my terms, but I've let them control what I do or don't do. I need to make them understand that I'm capable of making my own decisions and that they'll have to live with my choices."

  He feathered her hair between his fingers. "What sort of decisions... and choices?"

  "Like choosing what kind of man I want to be with, regardless of my family's opinion."

  "What kind of man do you want?" He doubted he fit her criteria and definitely not her family's, but he had to know just what he was up against if he wanted to keep her close.

  "Someone honest and considerate. A man who looks at me like I'm his world." She cupped his face. "Someone like you."

  He'd never had a woman look at him the way CeCe was gazing at him with adoration right now. Like he was her world.

  "A man who could make me feel safe even after facing a gun pointed at my face," she whispered right before her lips settled on his. Her kiss was sweet and endearing.

  Different than any he'd shared before. The warmth and caring in this kiss rocked him to the soles of his feet.

  His chest tightened with a feral need to keep her in his arms and safe. He'd never spent so much time getting to know one woman. CeCe had become his friend first since moving in next door. That was new all in itself.

  Yes, she'd become his friend first and lover next.

  He didn't want another in his bed. Ever.

  CeCe lifted her head, staring at him with her heart in her eyes. Everything about this woman was right up front and honest. No games or lies.

  Jeremy didn't care how many brothers he had to face.

  He was not letting this one go.

  First, he'd have to explain what he really did for a living, which would be tough since he couldn't actually tell her about BAD. She thought he owned a gym.

  The front doorbell rang.

  She tensed, eyes rounded. "What if Vinny caught an earlier flight and that's him?"

  "I'll deal with it. You get dressed." Jeremy kissed her on the forehead, lifted her to her feet, and sent her to the bathroom before he walked to the front door.

  The person outside had abandoned the doorbell and was now knocking. Pounding.

  Jeremy opened the door to what had to be two feds. He could spot them a mile away. "Can I help you?"

  One guy with a thin line for a mouth and receding hairline reminded Jeremy of the Joe Friday character from old Dragnet reruns he watched on television as a kid. His sidekick was a little taller at six feet with his black curly hair buzz cut, his skin the color of charred wood. One lazy eye gave him a half-interested look.

  Both men flipped their badges. Joe Friday's actual name was Special Agent Al Denton and his sidekick was Special Agent A. J. Quincy.

  Denton asked, "You Jeremy Sunn?"

  Jeremy nodded.

  "You know a Cecelia Caprice?"

  He nodded again.

  Denton's eyes narrowed to slits showing no patience. "Do you know where she is?"

  "Depends. Why do you want to know?" Jeremy wasn't handing her over without finding out what the FBI wanted.

  "That's none of your business."

  Jeremy crossed his arms. "Then I can't be of any help."

  "Maybe you'll be more helpful when we haul you downtown and book you for obstructing an investigation." Quincy glanced past Jeremy, searching.

  Jeremy would go with them and make one call to Retter, BAD's lead agent, who would hopefully find a creative way to spring him. "Hopefully" because getting busted by law enforcement for BAD was part of Jeremy's job description in most missions. This was a bit outside the parameters, but he'd gladly do it to keep CeCe out of the picture until he could figure out what the hell was going on.

  Jeremy maintained a bored stance. "What investigation?"

  "You're just begging to spend time in jail today, aren't you?" Denton threatened.

  "I'm right here," CeCe said from behind Jeremy. "What do you want?"

  Jeremy sighed. He had no doubt what the next words out of Denton's mouth would be and the agent didn't disappoint him.

  "I'm with the FBI, Miss Caprice. We have a search warrant for your house."

  "Why?" Jeremy asked since CeCe had gone rigid.

  "Because she's a Canadian citizen and doesn't have a gun permit."

  Hell, Jeremy had no choice. Besides he took the dive under the bus for everyone else, he might as well take it for CeCe. "She doesn't have a gun. I had the gun last nigh
t."

  "But he didn't shoot it so is that a big deal?" she asked.

  Denton smiled. "That's something we'll discuss downtown."

  Jeremy turned to her. "Go home and wait until you hear from me."

  "Actually," Denton interjected. "She's coming with us to answer questions about the man found in her house last night."

  Six

  So this was what an interrogation room looked like? The movies got the blank off-white walls and sterile feel right.

  CeCe took a deep breath and wished she hadn't. A lingering odor of despair and fear clung to everything in the room.

  Or maybe the fear was all hers.

  She continued to sit with her hands folded in front of her, glancing from time to time at the two-way glass.

  When the door finally opened, in came Special Agent Al Denton, the wiry man with no personality. His dark suit was stereotypical of what she'd imagine FBI agents wore, but that was only a guess on her part. The FBI was a U.S. agency and her family had always been in Ontario, except Vinny who moved to D.C. after receiving his law degree several years back. But he swore his work here was all completely legal so she hoped this didn't create any problems for him.

  How could it since she hadn't done anything wrong?

  "Can I get you anything, Miss Caprice?" Denton's hair had been black at one time, but the short tufts were peppered with gray. Nicotine clung to his clothes, wafting through the room when he closed the door and leaned against it.

  She shook her head. "No thanks. Why am I here when someone broke into my home?"

  "What do you know about Sam the Man?"

  She frowned, wondering where this was going. "Never heard of him."

  "What about Dorvan or Starface?"

  "Nope." Her family had always said less was more. She wanted to ask who these men were, but Vinny said never show an interest in anything. The minute he got back to Atlanta and found out about this he'd want her packed and moved to Ontario before the end of the week.

  No more. She was getting through this and staying put. Jeremy hadn't said it in so many words, but she could tell he cared about her. More than as a friend or neighbor. She wasn't letting her family run off the man she wanted to see every morning she woke up.

  "So you're claiming Dorvan was just breaking and entering?" Denton pressed.

  "Is that the name of the guy who threatened to kill me in my living room last night?" She'd asked that in as sarcastic a voice as she could muster but clenched her hands together in her lap to hide her nervousness. She'd learned how to verbally fence with the best of them after listening to Vinny over the years. But Denton's insinuation that Dorvan might know her raised the hair along her arms. Was he suggesting that Dorvan might be more than a sicko who had entered her home only to attack her?