My head was swimming, and all I wanted to do was go home.
Or maybe not home. Maybe somewhere I could just have Ash hold me.
Except I had a bad feeling I wouldn't be heading home, or anywhere with Ash, anytime soon. In the past two hours, I’d been questioned by the cops, by the FBI then more cops. Now the FBI was taking its turn again.
I hadn’t seen Ash yet, but I wasn’t surprised.
My experience with cops might have been limited to what happened with Vic and then my addiction to crime shows, but one thing I knew to be accurate was that they were pretty big on not letting the people they were questioning have time to talk. Once they’d let the EMTs look us over, Ash and I had been separated. He hadn’t been happy about it, either.
He’d actually argued the point for several minutes before I'd gotten him to listen to me. I'd known he could've called in some favors, but I hadn't wanted special treatment simply because Ash had money and friends in high places. Not even when it would benefit me.
Marcum must've been with Ash the last time the FBI had questioned me, because I'd spoken to an agent whose name I couldn't remember. Now, she was sitting across from me, and the expression on her face said there was a good chance Ash had done something to piss her off even more.
Placing my hands on the surface of the desk, I blew out a slow breath and then said in a soft voice, “Agent Marcum, look. I’m not trying to bullshit you and I’m not trying to stonewall you, either. Ash and I weren’t expecting to find anything.”
“Then why did you go?” she demanded. “And how the hell did you find Trask?”
I kept it simple. “We figured it out.”
“You figured it out.” Marcum crossed her arms. “You want to expound on that?”
Not particularly.
I didn't say that though. I was tired, not stupid. So, for the third time in two hours, I gave her the story, telling her about how Isadora figured out that there was a connection to her parents, how we'd gone through old photos and albums looking for clues.
And how we'd found one.
Then about Lily, and how Ash had started putting things together. Including the possibility that Trask and his associates were at the apartment building. When I finished, I fell silent and waited for more questions. It didn’t matter what she asked or how she asked it, my story wouldn't change.
“Why didn't you call me with it? I told you I was looking into it, that I had a lead. Do you have issues trusting law enforcement?”
“Well...yeah.” Shrugging, I crossed my legs and started to swing my foot. “But that's not the point. We didn't want to give you a false lead. Ash didn't think...”
A part of me insisted I be quiet now, but holding something back never went over well with cops. Marcum wouldn’t be any different.
“Ash didn't think we should say anything until we were sure. And, well, you obviously know there was a dirty cop, so...”
“So he didn't want to risk it,” she finished my sentence.
I nodded.
“But he trusted me.” She gave me a questioning look. “Why?”
“That’s personal.”
“Nothing’s personal if it involves an investigation of mine.” Marcum shook her head. “You two interfered with a federal investigation. I could throw both of you in jail. So...just give me a reason, Toni. Or in this case...don’t give me one.”
“He called because of me,” I said after another few seconds of internal debate. “Ash wanted to wait a few days, try to see if he couldn’t figure more out on his own, but I was too angry. They’d involved my family.” Tears burned my eyes now, and it took more effort than I liked to keep them back. I was so tired. “I told him if he wouldn’t do something, then I’d do it.”
Marcum’s ran her tongue across the inside of her teeth as she cocked her head, leaning closer as though that would give her a better view. “So he called. Just like that. Because you threatened to if he didn't?”
“Not exactly.” I drew in another breath and curled my hands into fists. “He saw me with my suitcase. I told him I'd leave too. That I'd never come back. That's why he agreed.”
The door swung open before she could ask anything else. A tall, thin black man with a silver-edged mustache peered in at us before beckoning to her. She nodded at me and then I was left alone.
Exhausted, I lowered my head to my arms.
I wanted this done. Even if they arrested me, as long as I had a flat surface so I could sleep, I'd be happy.
***
“For the record,” Marcum said, her voice flat. “I don’t want us crossing paths like this again. Ever.”
My head still spinning, I nodded at her. She gave a short nod in reply, and then leveled a glare over my shoulder. Turning to look at the object of her disdain, I didn’t notice her leaving. Then I just didn’t care because it was Ash.
I practically collapsed into his arms, relief and something much deeper flowing through me.
He cupped my face in his hands, studying my face. “Are you hurt? You’re not hurt?” he demanded, craning my chin to the right, then the left.
“I’m fine,” I told him. “You were there when the EMTs checked me out.”
I kissed him, rising on my toes to reach his lips.
He kissed me back, sliding his hands down my shoulders, then my arms and wrists and fingers. I broke the kiss as his fingers explored. There was little eroticism to the touch, and I knew he was searching for injuries I hadn’t told him about.
I leaned into him. “Take me home.”
“I will. Just...” He held me more tightly, clutching me to his chest. “I’m sorry, Toni. Dammit, I’m sorry. I was stupid. I don’t know what I was thinking. I’m so sorry. I put you at risk...”
“Just take me home.”
He nodded and kissed me again. Then again, each more frantic than the last.
After the fourth one, I tore away from him and caught his hand. “Home,” I said, squeezing him.
It wasn’t until we got there that I realized I hadn’t really specified what I'd meant by home. But I was okay with his choice, so long as it meant I got to fall asleep in his arms. Preferably sooner rather than later.
But as soon as we walked in, Isadora was there with Colton, flinging herself at her brother while a blank-faced uniformed officer stood behind them, watching the reunion.
“You’re all right!” She hugged Ash, then me, and then Ash again. “I was so scared. The news said there'd been a gunshot reported, but nothing else.”
“It's okay,” he said, pushing her curls back from her face. “They got Trask and the men who were working with him. You're safe.”
She sniffled, and then turned away as she started to cry. Colton came up to her and wrapped her in his arms, guiding her away as he spoke softly to her.
Envy curled through me. And then Ash came up to stand behind me, his hands on my shoulders. He slid them down, then around my waist to pull me back up against him. I went willingly, craving his warmth and strength.
“It’s over,” I said quietly.
“Yeah. It is.”
A breath shuddered out of me.
In the circle of his arms, I turned to face Ash.
Cradling his cheek, I rose on my toes and pressed my lips to his. He responded by parting his lips and sliding his tongue across the seam of my mouth. The sensation sent a ripple through me as I opened my mouth, my arms sliding around his neck. And then, a moment later, I was gasping because Ash was picking me up, his hands cupping my ass. I wrapped my legs around his waist, groaning as his denim-clad cock rubbed against my core.
I didn’t even remember him carrying me from the foyer to his bedroom, but suddenly, we were at his door. He paused there to press me back against the wall. He yanked my t-shirt up, shoving it up until it was twisted under my arms. He yanked the cups of my bra down and lifted my breasts out. While he teased one nipple into taut firmness with his thumb and forefinger, he used teeth and tongue on the other, until I was whimpering a
nd rocking against him.
Then he was moving again, taking me the couple extra feet into his room, where, for one unimaginable second, he stopped touching me. It was only for a moment, though.
“I need you.” He cupped my face as he stared down into my face. “I need you so much.”
Desire coiled tight in my belly. “Then take me.”
He growled as he claimed my mouth, his fingers tearing at the button of my jeans. I pulled at his shirt, just as desperate to feel him as he was me. This wasn't going to be slow, and I was just fine with that.
I needed him.
He groaned as my nails raked down his chest. As he broke the kiss, he spun me around. He pushed my pants down to my knees as his other hand put pressure between my shoulder blades, bending me toward the bed.
A moment later, he drove inside me, hard and fast. I wailed, pain and pleasure spiking through me. I wasn't wet, wasn't ready, but I wanted him, wanted more. My hands twisted in the raw silk of his comforter, seeking purchase as I pushed back against him.
He withdrew and surged deep again, the friction rough enough to make me whimper. His body curled over mine as he thrust into me, each stroke rubbing against that spot inside me as his hands slid up under my t-shirt. His fingers rolled and tugged on my nipples, sending jolts of pleasure that helped slick his way.
“I love you, Toni,” he said, his voice raw and molten.
The sound made something break open inside me, something that fed my need until it was nearly unbearable. I lifted my hips as best as I could, taking his cock as he rode me with quick, short digs.
It was hot, and raw, and he came almost immediately after I did, our bodies left shaking and trembling as we slumped onto the bed. He twisted us around into a relatively more comfortable position and tucked me against his chest. He pressed his lips against my temple.
Neither one of us spoke, but I didn't need him to say anything right now. We had issues we'd need to deal with, decisions to make. But that could wait. For now, I just wanted to fall asleep in the arms of the man I loved.
After the shitstorm the last few weeks of my life had been, I felt like I deserved it.
Chapter 14
Ash
TWO MONTHS LATER
“Are you okay?”
Toni took my hand as we sat in the courthouse.
Daniel Trask had just been sentenced to life in prison for kidnapping Isadora as well as the first-degree murders of our parents. And the second-degree murder of his step-daughter, Lily. They’d found her remains buried in the community garden next to the apartment. Forensics put her death at around the same time she'd originally disappeared. When Trask took his plea deal, he confessed to having killed her shortly after she'd refused to help him extort money from me.
My gut churned just thinking about it.
Our mysterious ghost had been one of Trask's accessories...and apparently the smartest one of the bunch. Less than an hour after his arrest, he’d rolled on Trask and everyone else involved, singing like the proverbial canary. He was doing a shorter sentence thanks to his cooperation. It wasn’t good enough, not for me, but it meant that Trask had taken a plea deal and saved my sister the pain of having to testify. It had taken two months to put it together, and it had been hellish to listen to the allocution, but it was finally over.
“Ash?” Toni squeezed my hand again.
“I’m...processing.” I rubbed my thumb over the back of her hand.
A man turned toward us, nodding when he caught my gaze. Jefferson Sinclair had handled the case personally, never passing us off to assistants or refusing to take our calls. And I knew it wasn't just because of our name or our money. Sinclair was one of the good guys. I liked him and had to admit, if I'd been a criminal, the man would have made me leery, because he was an absolute shark.
Toni leaned into me, her head resting on my shoulder. “Let’s get out of here,” she said softly. “All of us.”
I caught Isadora’s eye, and she nodded. She was leaning on Colton, and I could tell how much this had taken out of her. My eyes met his and we exchanged an understanding look. My respect for him had just kept growing over the past couple months. He'd been there for Isadora, night and day, whatever she needed. I was still an overprotective big brother who scowled at the thought of them sleeping together, but I'd seen in him what Isadora had seen.
If any man was worthy of my sister, it was him.
As we stood up, I automatically patted the pocket of my suit jacket. Isadora saw me and managed a smile. We’d talked before coming to court today. I hadn’t wanted to do this until this was over.
“It feels kind of empty, doesn’t it?” Isadora said as we started toward the door. “I guess I wanted to face him, yell at him or something.”
“Even that wouldn’t have done any good,” Toni said, coming in between us and hooking her arms through both of ours. “The idea of closure is all well and good, but now you all have to figure out how to accept not just that it’s over, but the things you thought were the truth weren’t. That takes a little more time.”
I nodded. Toni and I'd had this talk before. One thing I'd discovered about dating a psychologist: I'd never get away with not talking about my feelings again.
Isadora was quiet. I suspected she and Toni had been talking too. I hadn't asked though. I trusted Toni not only with my life and my heart, I trusted her with the most precious thing I had. My sister.
My heart gave a wild thump. In the last couple months, I'd come far from the man I was. I knew I had a long way to go yet, but I was hoping Toni would help navigate me through it.
Whether it was by mutual unspoken agreement, or just getting out of the somber setting of the courtroom, when we emerged from the car several minutes later, we all seemed to breathe a little easier and move a little lighter.
Isadora was laughing up at Colton, and Toni took my hand, swinging them back and forth, giving me that brilliant smile of hers that made my heart clench tight.
It was hard to believe that I’d once thought I didn’t want her in my life. Now I couldn’t imagine it without her.
The maître d’ saw Isadora before me, and smiled broadly at the sight of her. News of her kidnapping had gone public after the fact, and for a few days, she’d been a minor celebrity. She’d handled it with her natural grace, and had then quietly retired from the spotlight. She and Colton were still trying to find a place, but they hadn't wanted to move until everything was settled. She was also looking at going back to school. She wanted to be a victim’s advocate. When I'd found her poring over college catalogs, she told me that this had been a wake-up call for her, that she wanted her life to mean something.
Everything was changing.
I was thinking about change all throughout the meal, and about the next one – or what I hoped would be the next one.
When the server brought out champagne, and then left us alone, Isadora linked her hand with Colton’s and leaned against him. Her poker face was shit, and she couldn't keep her eyes from sparkling or her lips from curving into a smile.
Toni looked between us, eyes narrowing. “What’s going on?”
When I slid out of the seat, her eyes widened.
“Son of a bitch.”
Looking from the ring I held in my hand to her face, I said, “That wasn’t exactly the reaction I was hoping for.”
Isadora started to giggle and I shot her a dark look before focusing back on Toni.
“I’ve been waiting on this until today was done. I wanted to close that chapter before starting a new one.”
Her lips parted, eyes wide.
“A new one that will be all about us. Together. Will you marry me?”
Thick lashes fell down, shielding her eyes. Then she launched herself at me.
I had to close my fist around the ring to keep from dropping it as I caught her and wrapped my arms around her, hugging her tight. “Is that a yes?”
“That’s a hell yes.”
Chapter 15
&nbs
p; Toni
The house was quiet around us.
I hadn’t officially moved in, but I'd been staying here more and more over the last couple months. Isadora had been staying here less and less. She'd confided in me that she was trying to get Ash used to her absence a little at a time.
Tonight she was staying with Colton, so when Ash and I slipped inside the house, Ash turned to me and pressed me back against the door even as it was still closing. His mouth came down over mine, but when he tried to tug open the buttons on my blouse, I caught his hands.
“I’m not sure Doug’s heart can handle this.”
“He’s not here.” Ash bit my lower lip. “I gave everybody the day off. And then told them all to get the hell out.”
He licked the spot where he’d bitten me before he slid his mouth down along my jawline and began to move lower, his hand returning to the buttons of my shirt and freeing each one.
This time, I didn’t try to stop him.
When he had my blouse completely open, I started to move to help him, but he stopped me. Keeping his eyes on my face, he stripped me completely naked as I stood there. By the time he was done, I wore nothing but the ring he’d slid onto my finger just a few hours ago.
A ring I still couldn't believe I was wearing.
His lips danced across the flat plane of my belly, and then down until he was flicking his tongue through my curls. When he found my clit, I whimpered and cupped the back of his head.
“I can’t stand up too long if you do that.”
“Don’t worry.” He shot me a dark, hungry look. “If you fall, I’ll catch you.”
I groaned and dropped my head back against the door, giving over control to him. Ash stiffened his tongue and began to thrust it inside me. A few seconds later, I was crying out his name. He gripped my hips, holding me in place until I came, and then he scooped me up into his arms and carried me into the nearby living room.