He grunted at that as he pulled a beer from the fridge and closed the door with a snap.
"Bullshit," he growled. "There has to be more." She stared back at him with offended mockery. "I know how to do my job, Renegade, and I'm damned good at it. If there was something to find on her, I would have found it. The extremely interesting part here is that there's simply nothing to find." Twisting the cap from the bottle, he moved into the small area and sat down in the chair across from her.
"Maybe she was sleeping with Maddix Nelson? Scorned love perhaps?" A strange smile quirked Tehya's lips as she shook her head. "I accessed her gynecological records. Your mark is a virgin, my friend. Lily-white and pure." Shock widened his eyes. "There are virgins left in the world?" Tehya's brows lifted, her own gaze reflecting her surprise. "Well, there are few over the age of sixteen," she agreed with a laugh. "But she's one of them."
"Damn." He reached back, released the leather thong holding his hair at his nape, and shook his head in bemusement. "She's not a hag. Does she have a disease of some sort?"
"No diseases." Tehya shook her head. "She's just your typical nice girl next door. It seems they're not extinct after all."
Nik couldn't fathom it. He wondered if he had ever known one of those nice, innocent girls and decided he hadn't. He sure as hell hadn't ever known a virgin.
"Why would your typical all-American girl next door want to destroy the reputation of the man who provides jobs to practically her entire family?" Nik asked Tehya as he rubbed at his jaw thoughtfully. "From what Maddix said this afternoon, her brothers, her father, even her damned cousins are working for his company."
"They were working for it," Tehya amended as she crossed her blue jean-clad legs 26
and leaned back in the corner of the couch. "Her father broke his contract with the company the week after Mikayla's accusations against Nelson. The next day her brothers quit, and two days later her cousin pulled out of negotiations on the design contract Maddix was ready to sign. Two other cousins, heavy-equipment operators, quit the next week."
Nik rubbed at his upper lip with a forefinger as he considered that information.
"She was at Eddie Foreman's home this afternoon after I left Maddix's office," he told Tehya. "I drove past the house and saw her leaving." Tehya nodded as she adjusted the shoulder of her loose white shirt. "She's been questioning a lot of people. Most of them seem to simply tolerate her and her questions. They're torn between believing her and believing Maddix. It doesn't help her cause that Maddix as well as his alibis seem genuinely confused by her accusations. Of course, those involved in a conspiracy always look better when dealing with such things in a gentle manner."
Nik arched his brow at her statement. "I don't think I'd be nearly so patient."
"Of course you would." She grinned. "You'd pull the trigger real slow and easy." He grunted in amusement before tipping the beer to his lips and considering the information they didn't seem to have.
"What about Maddix Nelson?" he asked.
"According to him, the chief of police, and two council members, they were in an impromptu business meeting at the time of the shooting. Neighbors swear they saw each individual enter Maddix's home and saw him open the door for them. It appears he has nosy neighbors."
"Most neighbors are nosy," Nik mused.
Tehya inclined her head in agreement as Nik tapped a finger against the arm of the chair.
"Interesting," he finally stated. "Your sweet girl next door accusing an upstanding business figure of murder and he has the perfect alibi that places him in his home in a meeting. Does it seem a little pat?"
"A little." Teyha shrugged. "I'll be honest, Nik, I pulled every contact the Ops has in the area and a few we don't. I've covered this from back to front since you received the call from Maddix Nelson through Jordan's personal line. I can't find anything on him, or on the girl. If you accept his request, then you have your work cut out for you. And Jordan sent a warning. You're in this one on your own. The team's being pulled to Dallas on another op and we won't be free to help you."
Hell, he didn't want a damned thing to do with this. He wanted to pack up and fly back to Texas rather than deal with the woman he had seen leaving Gina Foreman's home that day.
He unwillingly remembered that long, thick dark blond hair. Almost because her eyes had caught his attention and immediately held it. Those amethyst eyes that were prettier in person. And evidently the innocence he had glimpsed in that photo went further than skin-deep.
"Jordan needs you to take care of this quickly." Tehya rose to her feet as she stared back at him. "We miss you when you're not with us, Nik." His lips twisted at the message before he finished his beer and leaned forward to place it on the wood tray that sat on the large padded stool between the couch and chair. 27
Of course they needed him, Nik thought. Jordan's team was small and specialized; having even one member out during a mission could make it more difficult.
"I'll do my best," Nik promised, though he had a feeling this little favor was going to cost him much more time than he had.
"Look, Nik, maybe you should just walk away from this one," Tehya suggested as she walked to the side of his chair and laid her small hand on his shoulder. "Most of us owe a lot of people a lot of favors that we can never truly repay. This might be one of those cases."
But something inside him clenched at the thought of leaving. Mikayla Martin's image flashed before him, determination notching her small chin. He stared at the wall across the room rather than the woman who often saw too much. "We'll see."
"Sure you will." She patted his shoulder before moving to the door. "Give me a call if you need anything. And remember, the ladies from Elite Two are leaving town day after tomorrow. If you need their help, they're available until then." The three women who had once been a part of the European Operation, Elite Ops Two, had been assigned permanently to Jordan when their former commanders had been assigned to another unit. They were now 100 percent American on paper and awaiting their next assignment.
If Nelson came up with the money, Nik mused, then he was stuck here. Nikolai Steele did not work for free, but he owed Maddix, and Nik believed in paying his debts. Stripping, he stepped into the shower, adjusted the water, and began washing away the grime that hours on the Harley had managed to accumulate on his body. After leaving Maddix's office, Nik had ridden around, checking out locations and residences of the players involved. That's how he had run into Mikayla Martin as she left Gina Forman's house. As the water beat over his body, Nik opened his eyes to stare down at the heavy erection that hadn't abated since he had gotten his first true glimpse of Mikayla.
He'd never gotten so hard so fast in his life. Especially for a woman he knew he couldn't have.
But then, no one had ever dismissed him as Miss Martin had done. Her expression had at first been interested, admiring, and though Nik wasn't the least bit conceited, he had been irritated when she had turned from him, her expression twisting into a grimace. It had only made him harder.
She was too tiny. Hell, she couldn't weigh a hundred pounds soaking wet if her life depended on it. But still, she was curvy. Nicely rounded breasts had pressed against the tailored white blouse she wore, while a flirty spring green skirt had flounced just below her thighs. Matching strappy sandals had complemented her legs, short though they were.
If she was five four it would shock the hell out of him. That long mass of straight, thick dark blond hair was the kind men dreamed of. Hair that would wrap around a man, hold him to her, bind him.
Nik grimaced, his fingers going to his dick as warm water sluiced down his body. As tiny as she was, he could think of nothing but seeing her above him, lowering herself on the heavy shaft of his cock, her cries of pleasure echoing around him. Her pussy would be snug. His fingers tightened on his cock at the thought. She'd be hot and 28
slick. He'd make sure she was wet enough to take him, but she would still feel the bite of erotic pleasure-pain.
&n
bsp; Her face would flush. Would those amethyst eyes darken? Hell yeah, they would. He stroked his fingers over the heavy shaft as he imagined her taking him, easing her hot little pussy down the thick stalk of his dick as her heavenly lashed eyelashes fluttered in pleasure.
He'd watch her. His fingers tightened further. He'd have to watch her take his cock. Watch plump, flushed folds of flesh part for the wide crest as she worked herself down it. Her heavy juices would coat his shaft, ease along it to the tight sack of his balls. His jaw tightened at the thought as heated water ran over the taut sack. God, he could get into fucking her.
Once he was lodged inside her to the hilt he'd watch her face as she rode him. Watch all that long hair as it flowed around her. Maybe it would cover her breasts, her tight nipples peeking through the strands.
And he could brush her hair back so his fingers could touch her tender nipples. Nipples that would be reddened, swollen from his earlier suckling of them. He would have caressed them, tasted them with his tongue as his hands stroked her body. Every inch of it. No part of her sweet flesh would go untouched by him. His hands, his lips, his tongue, would know every sweet inch of her flesh.
His hand moved faster, the thought of the pleasure that could be had building in his balls until they were tight, tortured with the need to come. He would grip her shapely hips in his large hands. He bet he could span her waist with his fingers. He'd hold her, keeping her from moving too fast, from finishing it too soon. He'd press her tightly onto him as she filled herself with his erection, ensure that her delicate little clit rubbed against him. She would cry out then. Her soft pussy would ripple around the hard flesh, suck at it as she fought for release, as the tight portal grew hotter, slicker.
He pumped his hand down his dick as he imagined it. Imagined her crying out his name, her hands pressing into his stomach for leverage, her head tossing, reddened lips parting as she fought to breathe.
He would give her what she needed then.
Hell yes. He'd hold her hips tight and buck beneath her, driving deeper and harder inside the heated depths of her sweet cunt as he felt her unravel around him. Her pussy would clench and flex. It would spasm with convulsing, heavy strokes along his dick as she arched back.
And he would fuck her harder. He would thrust his cock inside her as hard and deep as possible as he felt her release, felt her juices spilling along his shaft before he came with her.
"Fuck, yes," he groaned, eyes closed, his balls tightening, surges of sensation racing up his spine as his cock jerked in his grip and his seed began to spurt. He'd drive in hard. A groan tore from him. He'd lodge inside her to the hilt. His come spurted again as his hand tightened, moved faster. And he'd fuck her as he came. He'd pump into her with all the ferocious hunger and building need he'd denied himself for so long. A heavy snarl of hunger echoed around him as his abdomen clenched and the last harsh convulsions of release shot from his dick.
Ah, God. He'd give it all to her.
29
He leaned against the shower wall and fought to catch his breath. As tiny as she was, as tender as she would be, he'd not be able to hold back. You're a monster. My God, Nikolai. Do you care nothing for me? Do you not care that you hurt me every time you touch me? Is it not enough that I suffer in your arms?
Nik flinched at the memory, the harsh words tearing through his head as sanity returned.
Would Mikayla see him as a monster as well? A man whose needs would only hurt her?
Of course she would. Disgust tore through him. He wouldn't be able to help but hurt her. She was too small, and he was much too large.
And there was no future for it.
He was a dead man. Dead men didn't hunger. Dead men didn't need. He stared down at his dick in surprise. Dead men might not do any of those things, but that wasn't a dead man's cock he held in his hand. It forcibly reminded him that his hand was ineffective in stilling a hunger he shouldn't have.
"Fuck." He muttered the word with an edge of disgust before jerking a cloth from the rack inside the shower and soaping it quickly.
He didn't have time for this.
There was always a chance that Maddix would come up with the two hundred and eighty thousand dollars that his fee worked out to--with the discount. He should have ignored the call, he thought as he began to wash himself roughly. He should have forgotten that he still possessed some measure of honor. He should have denied the debt and moved on to the next mission.
There were so many things he should have done and hadn't. His biggest mistake had been staring into amethyst eyes and forgetting that he was a dead man. Shaking his head, Nik finished his shower, dried off roughly, then dressed in jeans and T-shirt before moving to the bedroom and lacing hiking boots on his feet. On the off chance Maddix managed to come up with the fee, Nik needed to be prepared. He needed more information on the players involved in this little game. There had to be more than Tehya had managed to come up with.
Someone was lying, Maddix Nelson or Mikayla Martin, and Nik needed to at least have a place to start. Maddix had been too damned sincere perhaps, though it wasn't easy for most people to lie to Nik. He'd seen and heard every lie and knew the expressions and contradictory reactions that went with them.
Mikayla Martin had accused Maddix of murdering one of his employees, and rather than being enraged, Maddix had been confused. He hadn't struck out at the girl; neither had the chief of police. Maddix was playing a damned good game, Nik had to admit.
But then, so was Mikayla.
Moving to the small kitchenette, he was in the process of moving his backpack when a firm knock sounded at the door.
Nik turned and stared at the dark green panel in disgust. It seemed as though Maddix Nelson may have come up with the funds after all.
Nik moved to the green steel door and checked the peephole. Sure enough, the other man stood there, his expression stoic as he stared at the closed door. Gripping the knob, Nik opened the door slowly and moved back to allow the 30
other man to enter.
Maddix entered, his shoulders straight and tense as he reached back with one hand to rub at the tense muscles in tight circles. In the other hand, he carried a briefcase. Nik stared at that briefcase, knowing what it contained.
Hell.
"Two hundred eighty thousand dollars." Maddix set the briefcase on the small table just inside the door as Nik moved to the other side.
Maddix stared at the case, sighed heavily, then looked back to Nik. "There it is," he said. "It's yours."
Nik stepped to the table, laid the briefcase flat, then flipped open the locks. He flipped through the stacks of bills. Yep, that looked like two hundred and eighty thousand dollars to him. A fee for a favor owed.
Fuck.
There were days he wished he hadn't been raised to understand what honor meant. To understand what a favor owed truly was. Because standing there now, Nik could feel his gut clenching at the knowledge that he was stepping over a line. He clicked the locks back into place and pushed the briefcase toward Maddix with a disgruntled glance toward the other man.
"It's all there." Maddix stared back at Nik in confusion.
"So hold on to it," Nik growled.
Maddix stared back at Nik silently, confusion darkening his eyes. "But you demanded the fee up front," he reminded Nik.
That line was staring him in the face, tempting him to cross it, to be the bastard the past was turning him into. To cross it now meant crossing it forever. There would be no turning back.
There would be no sunlit wheat-colored hair spread across his chest. No amethyst eyes staring back at him with true trust. Trust that wouldn't be later marred by the money that now sat between him and a job he knew better than to take.
"Take your money and get the hell out of here." Nik injected enough ice in his voice to ensure there was no chance of detecting the conflicting emotions raging inside him or the choices he didn't want to make at the moment.
"What . . ." Panic reflected in Maddix's face. r />
"I owe you the fucking favor," Nik stated coldly. "No fee required. Keep your money, Maddix. Maybe you can try to pay me off if I find out you're lying to me." He made certain his smile was colder than his eyes. "But I doubt it would work." He'd hoped Maddix couldn't access the funds. Nik knew, despite Maddix's alibis, that there were indeed federal eyes watching for large withdrawals of personal funds that would hint at a hired killing.
He'd stared into eyes that hinted at dreams, at innocence. If he found out the innocence was true, then heaven help anyone daring to harm her. Where the fuck had that come from?
"She gets to you, doesn't she?" Maddix shook his head. "I knew that picture would do it. It's the eyes."
Nik stared back at him, realizing now, as he had instinctively suspected earlier that day, that he was being played.
"I'll call you if I need to talk to you," Nik informed Maddix. "Until then, get the 31
hell out of my face and pretend you don't know me. Or I'll walk away, Maddix. Right after I help her string your ass up."
And he could do it. He would do it. It wouldn't matter how many alibis Maddix had; Nik could destroy every damned one.
"I don't have to worry about that, Nik." Maddix picked up the briefcase and moved for the door. "And I can honestly say I have no damned idea who you are." Nik stood back and watched as Maddix moved past him to the door. Maddix left the room, pausing only long enough to throw Nik one last confused glance before leaving.
Nik kicked the door closed, a curse escaping his lips as he raised his hands and linked them behind his neck before pacing into the bedroom.