InkintheBlood (5 page)

“Didn’t we just have this conversation? You aren’t coming
and that’s final!”

Her heart raced angrily at the words. “So you can risk your
life, but—”

“Exactly,” he said, stopping her before she could finish the
sentence. “It’s too dangerous.”

“It’s not too dangerous for you.”

“I’m a faceless agent, Izzy. I’ll be in and out of his life
in one night. But they know who you are. There’s no place you’d be safe if you
did this.”

“I’ve gotten lost in the crowd before. I can do it again.”

“There isn’t a crowd big enough.”

Glaring at him, she straightened her shoulders and squared
her chin. “Bottom line, the only way you’re going to get Alex is if I deliver
him. How bad do you want this, Agent?”

He growled softly as he met her glare, not backing down an
inch. “Not that bad. Not that way.”

“Fine, then get out.” It was the end she knew was coming,
but not the one she’d planned.

“What?”

“I said, get out.”

“Don’t you think you’re overreacting?”

At first she thought she’d misheard him, but as she replayed
the words in her mind her anger quickly became rage. “I don’t know, let’s see
how you react. I
am
going to Toxic tonight. But I’m going to be fair
about it. I’ll let you decide if I go alone.”

He froze and his face drained of color. “You’re joking,
right? Bluffing?”

“I think it’s high time for a family reunion.” Her voice was
cold and controlled as she spoke.

“You can’t go.”

“Last time I checked, it’s a free country. You can’t stop
me.”

His jaw clenched and his hands balled tightly at his sides
as he studied her for a moment. She feared he was going to get around it
somehow. How long could an agent detain a citizen before either having to
arrest her or release her? She tried to remember but couldn’t.

He cursed softly and ran his fingers through his hair. After
pulling his cell phone out of his pocket, he called someone and then put the
phone to his ear. “Yeah, it’s Phinney. There’s been a change in plans. Izzy’s
going to be with me tonight.” He ended the call abruptly and then stormed out
of the kitchen.

She wasn’t surprised to hear the front door slam shut as she
poured herself a cup of coffee. “Guess I wasn’t overreacting,” she mumbled.

The day passed slowly for Isabella. Her mind continuously
shifted between what she and Jacob had done the night before and what they were
going to be doing that night. She was glad Alex would finally be brought to
justice. Still, she couldn’t help feeling a bit nauseated. Not that she was
worried about herself. It was Jacob’s well-being that concerned her. She hated
to admit it, but after her anger had faded she understood why he’d tried to
keep her away from Alex. If she could, she’d keep him as far away from her
monster half brother as possible. But she’d have as much success keeping him
away as he’d had with her. No, she just had to come up with a way to keep them
both safe.

She ran her fingers through her hair and cursed softly as
she paced around the room. She’d always been a stronger shifter than Alex,
especially now that she was sober. But she couldn’t shift in front of Jacob.
And even if she could, what good would it do? It wasn’t as if changing her hair
color or dress size would help.

With the odds stacked against her, it would be easy to slip
into the depression of negativity. But she was stronger than that. She refused
to let doubts poison her. Instead she spent the day planning and mentally
preparing for the night to come. And when the sky became the hazy glow of city
night, she was ready to face her past.

She got dressed in what was quickly becoming her uniform for
drug busts. True, it was a different micro skirt and cropped tee than the night
before, but it had the same look.

Once she was dressed, she moved in front of her mirror to
finish getting ready. Alex had expectations of her and she wouldn’t want to
disappoint him. Staring into the mirror, she began by focusing on her red hair.
The color darkened until it was so black that it almost shone blue under her
bedroom lights. Then she made it grow a couple of inches and made it straight
instead of curly. When she was satisfied with her hair, she grabbed her mascara
off the vanity and applied a thick coat to her lashes before putting a layer of
bright-red lipstick on her lips.

The last thing she needed to change was her eye color. She
was fond of the emerald, but they should be her natural color tonight. After
she’d changed them back to their icy-blue, she slipped her feet into her
thigh-high black leather boots. This was the Izzy Alex knew.

Happy with the effect, she headed back into the front room.
She had just enough time to pace its length twice before she heard a knock at
the door. Taking a deep breath, she crossed the floor and opened the door for
Jacob.

Her eyes swept appreciatively over his perfectly tailored
button-down shirt and formfitting pants. “You look perfect.” She blushed as she
realized she’d said the words out loud. “For Toxic, that is.” She didn’t know
what to expect after their fight that morning, but it sure wasn’t the desire to
throw herself into his arms.

“You too. I have to say, there’s something about a goth
schoolgirl in a uniform.” The intensity of his gaze was quickly making her
knees weak.

“It’s the wig and contacts,” she lied. “They’d make any
woman irresistible.” She moved aside so he could walk past her. “Look. About
this morning—”

“I was wrong.”

“What?” His change of heart was so unexpected that she found
she didn’t completely trust it.

“I lied to you and, even after everything I’ve seen you
accomplish over the last six months, I shut you out. I was wrong,” he repeated.
“And I’m sorry.”

She studied him cautiously before closing the door. “Do you
feel okay?” She reached up to feel his forehead, searching for some hint of a
fever.

“I’m not sick.” He brushed her hand away. “Just protective.
This morning I was reacting. I needed time to think things through. Today gave
me that.”

As far as apologies went, his was kind of sweet. Even a
little hot. “It’s okay. I knew you were just worried about me. But thank you.”
She walked past him into the front room to get her purse. Now that they were
past their argument, she wanted to get the evening started. The sooner they got
going, the sooner they’d have Alex in custody.

“You’re welcome.” He took a step toward her as he stared at
her. “So, I’ve got to ask, how many of those little skirts do you have anyway?”

“Why?” She looked down at the skirt she wore, slightly
confused by the sudden change of conversation. “You don’t like them?”

He took another step. “No, I don’t. I love them. Hell, if
you had enough to wear one every day, I’d be in heaven.” He was stalking her—in
her own apartment. The realization slammed into her and made her skin tingle
with awareness.

“Whatever you’re thinking about, you can just forget it.”
She took a step backward but she couldn’t stop her smile. He wanted her as much
as she wanted him and that felt good. “We don’t have that kind of time.”

“Says who?” His gaze simmered with raw hunger.

She was in trouble. She stepped away from him just so she
could take a breath without smelling his spicy cologne. Tonight was about
finally busting Alex. She had to stay focused. “Says the tactical team waiting
to get this bust over with.”

He walked over to her and slid a lock of her hair behind her
ear. “The night is young. They won’t be in position for an hour at the
earliest.” He wrapped an arm around her waist to hold her against him as his
hand swept up her thigh. When his fingers made their way under the hem of her
skirt, he cursed under his breath. “Really? No panties? Are you trying to kill
me?”

Her skin heated into a blush as she looked up at him. “Would
you believe me if I told you I forgot them?”

“Nope. You did it to torment me.”

She laughed because he was right and he knew it.

His fingers ran over the seam of her pussy as he leaned over
to kiss her again. This kiss was hard and unforgiving. She opened her mouth to
take him into her as his finger found her clit. “You’re wet.”

She ran her hand down his body until it rested on the bulge
just behind his zipper. “And you’re hard.”

He massaged the erotic bundle of nerves until she moaned. “I
know the solution to both of our problems,” he whispered into her ear.

“So do I.” She unzipped his pants and pulled his cock out of
his boxers. She’d wanted to taste him the night before but, since her hands had
been tied, she hadn’t had the chance. There was nothing stopping her now
though. Dropping to her knees, she admired him for a second before she ran her
tongue along the length of him.

“What are you doing?” he asked softly.

She chuckled and then swirled her tongue along the sensitive
head as if it were an ice-cream cone. “If you don’t know then I’m not doing it
right.”

“Oh no. You’re doing everything right.” He took a deep
breath and closed his eyes as she took him into her mouth. “Especially that.”

She moaned as he pushed his cock farther into her mouth. She
enjoyed the weight of his erection and the slightly salty taste of his pre-come
as it burst across her tongue. He threaded his fingers into her hair and then
used his grip to tilt her head back so she was looking up at him. His
expression was fierce and his attention was focused on her mouth as he thrust
his cock in between her lips. It should’ve been awkward to watch him watching
her but it wasn’t. It was hot as hell. Her nipples hardened and she had to
clench her thighs together to keep from touching herself.

“You’ve got to stop. I’m going to come.”

She’d never needed anything like she needed him. And, given
her drug addiction, that was saying something. She pulled away from him to
smile and say, “That’s kind of the point.” Then, before he could step away, she
lowered her mouth to his cock once more.

He moaned and used his hand in her hair to direct her pace
for a few minutes. He slipped in and out of her mouth with stronger and faster
thrusts that demanded she take more of him. Yet he seemed careful not to make
her take so much that she’d gag. He was moments from coming. She could feel it
in in the tension that radiated off his body. But just when she thought she’d
feel his come coat her throat, he pulled away.

“Where’s the nearest flat surface?” He pulled her to her
feet and then dragged his pants over his exposed cock.

“Kitchen table.” Holding on to him around his waist, she
walked backward into her kitchen. She didn’t stop until her ass hit the edge of
her table. Then he picked her up and sat her at the edge of the tabletop.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a condom before
pulling his jeans and boxers down just far enough to reveal his hard cock.
“Jesus. I need you so bad it hurts.”

She took the condom from him and tore it open before rolling
it over his erection. “Good thing I’m right here, then.” She leaned back and braced
her weight on her hands.

He pushed her skirt up and then sank into her. “Yes.” He
pulled most of the way out of her and then pushed back into her slowly. It was
what she craved, but she needed more. She needed to be filled with him.

“Harder,” she begged.

“Won’t last.” His voice was strained.

“Please. I need more.”

He moved one hand to her lower back so he could support her
as he thrust into her harder. She leaned back onto her elbows so he could fill
her more completely and then moaned as he ran a thumb over her clit. If he
continued doing that, she wasn’t going to last long either.

His skin was covered in a fine mist of sweat and his
breathing was rough as he continued to thrust into her. The muscles that
defined his arms and chest were tense and his attention remained locked on her.
It was easy to believe that, at that moment, she was the center of his world.

It was that thought that sent her tumbling over the edge
into the bliss of release. He called out her name and he pulled her to him as
he trembled with his own climax. Sex with him might be a mistake, but it was
the best damn mistake she’d ever made.

She took a couple shaky breaths and then lay back on the
table. Her muscles were too wobbly to hold her and her mind was officially
mush. In short, the man was good between the sheets. Or, as the case may be, on
the table.

He pulled out of her and then disposed of the condom before
offering her a hand to sit up. “You okay?”

She took his hand and pulled herself up. “Oh I’m better than
okay,” she said with a smile. “Do you have to be so damn good at everything you
do?”

His cheeks turned pink at the compliment. He blushed?
Seriously? It was just one more thing on the very long list that made him
absolutely irresistible. “You certainly are good for a man’s ego.”

She laughed as she climbed off the table. “The last thing I
intended to stroke was your ego.” She pushed her skirt down and straightened
her top. “It’s so big, I wouldn’t even know where to start,” she teased.

He pulled up his boxers and jeans. “Are you implying I’m
arrogant?” he asked with a wink.

She laughed at the term. Some might use that word to
describe him, but she didn’t think it fit. “No. You’re not arrogant.” She
studied him carefully before saying, “You’re single-minded and pushy.”

He laughed. “And there’s a difference?”

“There is. I happen to like single-minded and pushy,” she
said with a wink of her own.

“Well, that’s a relief.”

She smiled as she pushed him back a step. “You don’t know
how lucky you are, buster.”

All trace of humor disappeared as he stared down at her.
“Yes I do.” The words were soft and held a promise she didn’t want to identify.
They caressed her soul and filled her mind with thoughts she
shouldn’t—couldn’t—have about him. “That’s why I don’t want you anywhere near
Alex.” He ran his fingers through his hair. “I mean, I agreed. You’ll be with
me tonight. But I don’t like it.”

“I have to see this through.” Unable to look at him any
longer, she walked into the front room.

“Just tell me why.”

“Because I dream of demons too. And my nightmares aren’t
going to stop until this is finished.”

He was silent for a moment, as if giving thought to her
words. “I’m trying to understand. Really, I am.”

“You don’t have to understand it. You don’t have to
understand me. But I do need you to support me in this.”

“Okay. Just promise you’ll stay close to me. If anything
happens…”

She appreciated the gesture but doubted there was much he
could do if they messed this up. “If anything happens, we’re screwed.” She took
a 9mm out of a drawer and placed it into her handbag. “I’m ready.”

“Do you know how to shoot that gun?”

“As much as I hate to admit it, it’s actually what I’m best
at.” She smiled at him teasingly before walking toward the door.

“You must be one hell of a shot then,” he mumbled, the faint
trace of a smile on his lips. “Okay, so how do we get an appointment with
Alexander?”

He might never be happy about her going, but he was doing as
she asked. He was supporting her. And that was all that mattered. “We go to
Beck’s and have my Uncle Gus make a call.”

“Beck’s it is.”

He wrapped his arm around her protectively as they made
their way out of the apartment and into the night. As they walked across the
parking lot, she considered telling him about her—about Alex—but quickly
dismissed the idea. There were only a few ways that conversation could go where
she didn’t end up in a psych ward and she didn’t have the luxury of chancing it
tonight.

He opened the passenger door of his classic Charger and then
stood back so she could slide into the seat. She’d ridden in it a number of
times since they’d started working together but she still felt the tingle of
excitement as he turned the key and the engine roared to life.