Black Book: Black Star Security Page 8

  Harold was holed up at Lupita’s place, having a grand old time. Meanwhile, Quinn and Mack were staying at a rental property down the street from them, close enough to listen in, but far enough away to not arouse suspicion.

  Thanks to Storm, they’d bugged the mistress's house, so they heard everything. It was like listening to a really annoying radio program 24/7. So far, all Quinn had heard from Harold and Lupita was very enthusiastic sex and pillow talk. Nothing useful.

  Early this evening, they’d started going at it again.

  Being alone with Mackenzie was wreaking havoc with Quinn’s body. He was so close but couldn’t touch her.

  Hearing Harold enthusiastically fuck his young mistress wasn't helping matters. It was like aural porn. All Quinn could think about was the way he'd held Mackenzie the other night. He wanted more of her, and not just in a sexual sense.

  No, you can’t abandon the mission. You promised yourself you’d avenge Karen. And Harold deserved to get his just desserts.

  Even though he might be distracted and on edge, he was bound and determined to make Harold pay for his many sins. So, he dug deep within and forced himself to focus on the assignment.

  Suddenly, the water started running and Quinn tried to ponder other things. Although it was next to impossible. She was only a few feet away from him, naked and wet in the shower.

  He thought back to when she’d been in the bathroom with him. He’d only had a towel around his waist. Quinn had been so close to taking her.

  Snap out of it.

  If he didn’t stop himself, Quin would do something stupid, like walking in there and kissing her breathless. Quinn stood and did a few jumping jacks, to get the blood flowing in a different direction.

  It didn’t help much.

  So, Quinn poured himself another cup of coffee, put on a pair of headphones and leaned back in his chair. Evidently, they’d worn themselves out. Harold and Lupita were fast asleep. He could hear the rumbling snores ringing in his ears.

  He’d tried his best not to get too comfortable, but all of this felt ridiculously normal, chasing down a target, working on a case. Quinn had forgotten how much he missed being on the right side of the law. For as long as he could remember, he'd always wanted to be a lawman.

  In the group home he'd lived in, the night manager had watched Andy Griffith reruns religiously, and he'd stayed up with the man, mostly because he wanted attention, affection from someone. Quinn was a far cry from the mild-mannered Andy Taylor, but he’d been fighting the good fight until Harold came along and ruined everything.

  It was difficult not to be bitter when he thought of everything he lost.

  Quinn literally had nothing left, his freedom, his reputation, his career. Hell, even his name was gone. And when a man gets desperate, he's liable to do anything.

  Quinn was beginning to have doubts, second thoughts. He was starting to wonder if his revenge was enough anymore. Mackenzie made him want more out of life.

  Not that he had much of a future.

  Right then, she emerged from the bathroom, wearing a robe.

  She'd fastened the belt around her waist and held the top of the robe together with one hand. He knew her discomfort came from desire. Mackenzie felt the same way about him. Her reaction to his touch had been genuine, but she was too afraid to pursue it.

  Mackenzie got caught up in what she should do, instead of what she wanted to do.

  Quinn longed to corrupt Mackenzie a little bit and bring out her inner bad girl. He knew she was buried deep inside there somewhere, just itching to come out and play.

  “Good night,” she said stiffly.

  “Goodnight, Mackenzie.” It was yet another awkward exchange.

  They’d had several of them about the weather, food, and other mundane things. It was ironic. When they’d been texting, he couldn’t wait to have a face to face conversation with her and now he didn’t have a clue what to say.

  He’d pictured meeting up with Mackenzie so many times, sweeping her into his arms and taking her away on an adventure.

  Reality and fantasy are two different things.

  She padded down the hallway and shut the door. He wanted to push her into hashing this out with him, but he doubted she’d be receptive.

  Stop it. Maybe the separation is for the best? This thing can't go anywhere.

  When they caught Harold, Quinn would most likely go back to jail. After all, he’d violated the law. Repeatedly.

  Quinn couldn’t bear the thought of being penned up again. He’d rather take a short walk in the woods with a shotgun. One way or another, they’d never willingly take him into custody.

  Quinn glanced around the room to distract himself. The place was clean, but a little shabby, with second-hand furniture.

  It was hardly a love nest.

  A half an hour later, Mackenzie cried out.

  Quinn tossed away the headphones and dashed down the hallway, to her room. Instinctively, he pulled his gun, clutching it. He rapped on the door, but there was no answer.

  “Mack, are you okay?” When she didn't respond right away, he barged into the room.

  Her lovely red hair was spilled over the pillow, like a crimson wave. He eased into the room and closed the door behind him. She turned over, and her eyes moved back and forth behind the closed lids.

  Was she having a nightmare?

  He put the gun back into his holster and gently sat on the edge of the bed.

  “Mackenzie?” he whispered softly, but she didn’t respond.

  She'd gotten dressed for bed, and wore a tank top, along with a tight pair of yoga pants. He could see the outline of her breasts, because the fabric clung to her like a second skin.

  You shouldn't be in here, looking at her, thinking these things. But Mackenzie was a banquet laid out before a starving man, and she made his mouth water.

  Quinn should stand up and walk out of here, but he wouldn't leave her in the grips of a nightmare. He just couldn't.

  “Mackenzie? Wake up, you're having a bad dream.” He grasped her by the shoulders, lightly shaking her.

  Mack shouted something unintelligible, as she woke, sitting straight up in the bed. For a second, she was wild-eyed, wary, as though she didn’t remember who he was, or where she was.

  “Mackenzie, it’s me. You’re safe.”

  She ran a hand down her face. “What happened? What's going on?”

  “Nothin, you’re fine. I'm here with you.”

  “Sorry.” She gave a shaky laugh. “I know you’re trying to work.”

  “Don't worry about it. I just missed some snoring.”

  She made a half-hearted attempt at a smile. “Harold hasn't done much in the way of evil plans yet.” They’d both been frustrated by the lack of intelligence.

  “Oh, don’t worry. He must have had a hidden motive for coming to Kentucky. We just haven't found it yet. I bet you anythin’ he’s meetin’ up with his cartel contact.”

  She nodded.

  “What were you dreamin’ about?”

  Mackenzie didn’t answer.

  “Harold?” Quinn just had a hunch.

  She went pale as milk. “Yeah, I was having a nightmare about him.”

  Quinn knew she was ashamed, but Mackenzie shouldn’t be. She’d been younger, vulnerable, and Harold was an opportunist, a predator. He’d used dozens of women over the years.

  “Do you want to talk about it?”

  She sighed. “No, but I probably need to. Hearing his voice, the past couple of days has stirred up a lot of memories.”

  “You can tell me anythin’, Mackenzie.” He held his hands up. “This is a judgment free zone.”

  She opened her mouth to speak, and then bit her lower lip. He knew she liked her privacy.

  “Take your time.” Quinn placed a hand on her shoulder, and he could feel her shaking. Her vulnerability elicited this wave of protectiveness, and it shook Quinn to his core. He wanted to keep her safe, watch over Mackenize, and make sure no one else hur
t her.

  Yeah, like you protected Karen.

  She hadn’t listened to him when he had warned her. Quinn should’ve done whatever it took to safeguard her, even if he’d had to kidnap her.

  “I was reliving the past.” Mackenzie wrapped her arms around her shoulders. “I wish I could go back and warn myself. What an idiot I was.”

  “You loved him.” It wasn't a question. He already knew most of the story, from his informant, but he wanted her to tell him, in her own words.

  “No, I thought I did. I loved a version of him, which turned out to be a figment of my imagination. I deceived myself. I didn't see who he really was until it was much too late.” She swallowed. “Harold told me he and his wife were separated, and I didn't check it out. I mean, how stupid can you get? I was an FBI agent and I didn't verify his story.”

  “Trusting someone you're in a relationship with, comes with the territory.”

  “It was naive.”

  “I can see where you’d get that impression. He lived in DC, and she’s in Texas.”

  “Yes, and they had a long-distance marriage.” She pushed a hand through her hair. “And now we know he is running for Senate. I think he planned this all along. He wanted to establish a residence in Texas.”

  She was probably right, Harold was a Machiavellian bastard. He was always two or three steps ahead of everyone else.

  “How did it start? Did he come on to you?” Quinn couldn’t contain his curiosity.

  Mackenzie looped her arms over her knees. “I was young, just out of Quantico, and I dated a lot. I was a young professional, with a lot of time on my hands, so I made the best of it.”

  “You don't have to justify your choices to me. Believe me, I'm not the morality police. I've done terrible things.”

  “Thank you for saying that.” She closed her eyes. “But it’s humiliating. I was nothing more than a side piece to him. Harold didn’t care about me at all.”

  “Hey,” he said, grasping her arm. “Don’t you ever say that about yourself. He’s the one who did the lyin’ and cheatin’ on his wife, not you. The last time I checked, you didn’t make any vows to anyone.”

  “It’s no excuse.” Her cheeks reddened. “What about his poor wife? Or his kids?”

  “Harold hurt them. Not you.”

  “Yeah, well, I still feel responsible.” Mackenzie threaded a hand through her hair. “It started innocently enough, and things got out of hand fast. The FBI was in the middle of an efficiency review and Harold was evaluating all of the units, cleaning house. He was with the hostage negotiation team for a couple of months, and I was awestruck when we met. Harold’s good-looking, accomplished, funny, and smart. How could I resist?”

  Personally, Quinn didn’t think Harold was any of those things, but he didn’t say so.

  “You know what I don’t get about the two of you?”

  “What?” she asked.

  “The age difference.”

  “Call it daddy issues. I told you my dad never paid much attention to me, so I sought out older men who would.”

  Then why, in God’s green earth was she attracted to him? Quinn was pretty far from an authority figure. In fact, he was more of a bad boy. Maybe she liked him because he was different?

  “And you wouldn’t believe the office gossip. Every time I walked into a room, the conversation stopped. I just knew they were talking about me behind my back.”

  “How did it all come crashin’ down?”

  “One of the office assistance confronted me. She called me a home wrecker and other things…” Mack closed her eyes.

  “Did you confront Harold?”

  “You bet your ass I did.”

  “And what happened?” Quinn wished he could have been a fly on the wall at that meeting.

  Mackenzie shook her head. “He tried to lie his way out of it. Harold told me people didn’t know he was separated. Then he changed the story and said they had an open marriage. Basically, he went through every lie he could think of.”

  “And when nothing worked…?”

  “I told him it was over and stormed out of his hotel room. I thought that would be the end of it. He’d finish up his evaluation of my unit and be on his way. I’d never have to see his face again.”

  “But he went after you, didn’t he?”

  “Yeah, he destroyed my career.”

  “What a prick.”

  She laughed bitterly. “We could’ve just went our separate ways and the gossip would’ve died down, but Harold was afraid for his job. He struck first, speaking with my supervisor, Alan, saying I came on to him. According to Harold, he’d given in, during a moment of weakness, but I got hostile when he broke it off. So, I was dragged into a human resources meeting, where they basically accused me of using my feminine wiles, in order to get ahead at the agency like I was some sort of office slut.”

  “Did you tell them your side of the story?”

  “Yeah, but they didn’t believe me.”

  “The old boys club, huh?” Karen had dealt with sexism on the job, too.

  “Pretty much. Harold had been with the agency for decades, and I’d been there a few years. They asked me for proof, but I didn’t have anything I was willing to hand over. It was my word against his.”

  “How did it shake out?”

  “Technically, I resigned, but if I hadn’t they would’ve fired me.”

  “Did you have any other proof? You said you didn’t have anything you were willing to hand over, which implies you had proof you wanted to keep under wraps.”

  Mackenzie groaned. “I have his DNA. This is disgusting, and Monica Lewinsky-esque, but I hadn’t changed the sheets in my bed. So, his, er, DNA was left on it. After the HR meeting, I cut off a square and tossed it in a freezer bag, but it didn’t prove anything. He’d already admitted to sleeping with me.”

  “When it comes to that slimy son of a bitch, you’ve gotta keep evidence.”

  “t I told him about it. After I got booted out of the FBI, he contacted me.”

  He raised a brow.

  “Evidently, he thought he could smooth things over with me. Maybe he was worried I’d sue him for wrongful termination? Anyway, I let Harold know I had his DNA, in case he tried to change his story again and say I was some psycho stalker. I knew he was capable of just about anything, and I wanted an insurance policy.”

  “And that’s why you’re on his hit list.”

  “Yeah, I’m betting the cartel doesn’t want their shiny new senator beholden to anyone else.”

  Quinn squeezed her hand. “Thank you for tellin’ me.”

  “Please don’t tell anyone I work with, okay? I don’t want them to know how foolish I was.”

  “Like I said earlier, I blame him, not you and I’m sure your friends would feel the same way. But your secret is safe with me.” Quinn sighed. “Well, I should let you get some rest.” He stood, ready to go back into the living room, but she grasped his arm.

  “Wait, please don’t go. Can you stay here? Just until I fall asleep?”

  “Of course.” Her request was unexpected but welcome.

  Quinn awkwardly sat on the edge of the bed. Honestly, he didn’t trust himself to stay in here. She just looked so luscious.

  But he’d keep himself in check for her.

  “No, here.” She patted the space beside her.

  Swallowing hard, he sat down. Lying beside her, even fully clothed, was a temptation.

  Quinn was furious with himself.

  Stop it. Can’t you at least try to be a better man, for a few minutes?

  Someone tried to kill her the other night. She’s having nightmares about the man who destroyed her career. Mackenzie has enough problems. She doesn’t need you drooling over her.

  “I'm not sure this is a great idea. Actually, it’s a terrible one.”

  “Why?” she asked.

  “Because I want you.” His voice had dipped an octave.

  “Oh. I—” She flushed. Mackenzie didn’t
look worried or scared. No, she seemed intrigued and God knows he wanted to quench her curiosity.

  “But I won’t act on it.”

  So, he laid down beside her and wrapped an arm around Mackenzie. She snuggled close, bringing her head to his chest. He stroked her hair, which clung to his fingers.

  And Quinn tried to think of something else, besides the woman in his arms.

  ***

  Suddenly, Mack’s eyes shot open.

  Had she heard a noise? Sensed something? When she sat up in bed, Mack found Quinn standing in the shadows, his face partially obscured by the darkness. He was no longer in the bed with her. Instead, he stood on the opposite side of the room, as far away from her as he could get.

  “Quinn, what's wrong?”

  He stepped forward, into the moonlight.

  There was a quiet intensity about him, his shoulders were taut, his jaw squared, and when he lifted a hand, it shook slightly.

  “Is everything okay?”

  She hopped off the bed and approached him slowly.

  “No.” His voice was dark and raspy. “Stay there.”

  “You’re scaring me.” Mack shivered. "What happened?”

  He shook his head. “Nothing. They're still asleep.”

  "Then why are you acting so strange? I don't understand.” Something was clearly wrong, he was agitated. She could sense it.

  “Mackenzie.” His gaze locked on her, like a heat-seeking missile. “I tried to take my mind off it, but I can’t. I cleaned the kitchen, took a shower, exercised, but I can’t stop thinking about you. I need you.”

  A shivery sort of excitement slipped down her spine.

  It was a scary kind of thrill, like hearing a strange noise in the darkness, or happening upon a predator in the wilderness. There was an element of danger, which made this encounter even sweeter.

  “Quinn, I don't know what to say. I…”

  She didn't get a chance to finish the thought.

  Quinn came for her.

  “Touch me.” His arms wrapped around her torso like steel bands, his breath hot against her neck. He was ravenous, starving.

  She ran her fingertips down the length of his chest. Quinn pressed his mouth against hers, softly at first, just a brush of his lips.

  Mack moaned.