Out Of Control (25 page)

“You
have to eat. Feel free to forage in the kitchen.”

“Cole,
the last thing you need to worry about is my food. You’ve done enough already.”

He
pulled her cell phone from his pocket where he’d stashed it and put it on the
coffee table. “Leave this on so I can call and check on you. I don’t know what
time I’ll be home.”

“Don’t
worry.” She felt as if she’d already said it so many times, but it was
important to make him understand she had to be low on his list of priorities
right now. “I’m good. Really.” She even sipped some more of the whiskey for
him. “Why don’t you tell your deputy to come inside where he can be more
comfortable?”

“No.
He’ll be on the porch where he can see if anyone approaches the house.”

Her
eyes widened. “You think someone would come to
your
place
?
No one
even knows I’m here. Well, except for your deputies.”

“I’m
not taking any chances. You just finish that drink and try to nap. Got it?”

She
forced a smile. “Yes, sir.”

He
stared at her again with that burning gaze, then bent down, cupped her chin,
and kissed her until her head swam. Then he stuck his Stetson back on his head.
“I’ll call you.”

His
boot heels clicked on the plank flooring as he headed toward the front door,
leaving Dana sitting on the couch in a different kind of shock.

She
sat, automatically sipping on the whiskey and willing herself to relax. When the
glass was empty, she set it on the table and folded herself into a corner of
the couch. She leaned back and closed her eyes, and in a moment, despite
everything, the dream was there again, curling around her.

“You
taste so good,” he murmured, his mouth against her neck, his teeth nipping
lightly. His tongue soothing the little bites.

“So
do you.”

She
was bolder with him than she’d been with any other man. Gripping his cock where
it pressed against her body, she ran her thumb over the velvety head, feeling
the pearl of fluid sitting there. Lifting her thumb to her mouth, she licked it
slowly, turning her head so he could watch her.

“You
like to tease, don’t you,” he growled.

“Uh
huh. But so do you.”

Wasn’t
that exactly what he was doing now? Rubbing his thumb lightly over her swollen
clit? Letting just the tips of his fingers trail into her wet slit? He shifted
and his mouth closed over one stiff nipple.

“Ohhhhh.”
The sound slipped from her mouth like a soft caress. Heat shot through her,
burning her from the inside out. Making the pulse in her core accelerate like
the beat of a jungle drum.

“You
like that?”

“You
know I do.” She returned her hand to his swollen erection, feeling his pubic
hair against her hand as she gripped the thick root of his shaft. “But you like
this, too.”

“How
about this?” He slid two fingers into her, finding her hot spot and rubbing it
lightly.

She
squeezed her thighs, trapping his hand inside her as she rubbed up and down his
cock.

“Oh,
yeah. You definitely like that.” He pulled his hand out and slipped his fingers
back toward her buttocks, probing gently for the tiny puckered hole there,
using her cream on his fingertips to ease the way. His arm pressed against the
lips of her pussy. “Like that, sugar?” He rubbed one finger around and around.

Lust
shot through her, nearly choking her with its intensity. Her pussy throbbed,
and she tried to slide back and forth on his arm. The more he pushed against
that opening, the more aroused she became until she wanted nothing more than
for him to fuck her. Hard. There. Everywhere.

He
took her nipple between his lips again, grating his teeth over the sensitive
surface. She was bombarded by so many sensation s at once she wasn’t sure she
could stand it.

But
he was bent on making this last as long as possible.

Her
hand closed convulsively around his cock as the first climax roared through
her. Her hips jerked, her body pressing into his touch as tremor after tremor
shook her.

And
when her breathing evened out and her racing heart slowed, he began all over
again.

Stroke,
stroke, rub, rub.

Everything
was so extra sensitive now. She wanted…

Something
startled her awake. Her body jerked and she banged her foot into the coffee
table. “Ouch!”

Her
cell phone rang, and she realized that was what had woken her.

“You
okay?” Cole asked.

She
couldn’t miss the stress in his voice and hated the fact she’d added to it.

“Yes.
I’m good. Took a little nap.”

“Okay.
Just checking. I’ll see you later.”

When
she disconnected the call, she hugged the phone to her chest. Just the sound of
his voice soothed her. Not to mention making her pulse ramp up and her body
throb with an unsatisfied need. An
unfamiliar
need.

For
a woman who had never been able to enjoy sex, she sure as hell was dreaming
about it a lot. Despite the awful circumstances of the day, her body still
vibrated with unsatisfied need, a strange sensation for her. What was she going
to do about this?

Work.
That’s what she always did. It would help her blunt the events of the day and
the lingering effects of the dream. Gritting her teeth, she made her way to the
guest room to get her laptop. Back on the couch, she booted up the computer and
opened the document with the spreadsheet she’d created. Maybe there was
something else she was missing. Something in addition to the clowns. Something
to take her mind off everything that had happened. And…sex.

****

Special
Agent in Charge Clark Lorimer of the FBI’s San Antonio field office took Cole’s
call and listened to everything he had to say.

“I
agree with your assessment, Sheriff,” he said. “It’s good you’re calling us in
before things get any worse. You’d be amazed at how many local law enforcement
officers wait one body too long.”

“I’m
afraid I’ve done that already,” Cole said, so tired he could barely think. “We’ve
got a very bad situation here.” He paused. “I could be shooting in the dark
but…” He explained about the old pedophile case and Dana’s theory the two
killers could somehow be tied together.

“Too
bad the sheriff at that time didn’t ask for help.”

“I’ve
been telling myself the same thing for the past forty-eight hours.”

“Okay.
I’ll send one of our agents, Scott Clayton, first thing in the morning.”

“Appreciate
it, Agent Lorimer.”

“It’s
Clark. I think under the circumstances, we can dispense with formalities. Scott
will need copies of everything. Autopsies. Crime scene reports. Witness
interviews. Whatever you’ve got. He’ll let me know if he needs more men after
he assesses the situation.”

“I’ll
have it ready for him. Hell,” Cole snorted, “he can even have my damn office if
he wants. The county commission is probably ready to boot me out of it.”

“Politicians
can get rambunctious,” Lorimer agreed. “But when you catch the perp, they’ll
forget how mad at you they were. Happens all the time.”

“Should
I tell my people that whoever you send is now in charge of the investigation?”

“No,
not at all. It’s still your jurisdiction. We’re just providing assistance. And
access to all our facilities, like the lab at Quantico if we need it.”

Cole
leaned back in his chair, rested his feet on his desk, and rubbed his forehead,
hoping the headache would ease. “Well, I appreciate your response. Whatever
time your men get here, I’ll be waiting for them. And thanks again.”

He
called Dana, just to check on her and make himself feel better. She sounded
distracted but who could blame her? Then he checked in with Margene and Max to
bring them up to date.

“And
the deputies I’ve had looking for anyone who saw Shannon this afternoon haven’t
turned anything up. We’ll regroup when the FBI gets here in the morning.”

“I’ll
call a special meeting of the commission and bring them up to date,” Margene
told him.

His
last call was to Tate, just to listen to someone telling him he was handling
things okay. His uncle’s opinion always meant a great deal to him and the man
was, after all, the one who had recommended him for this job.

“You’re
doing the right thing,” Tate assured him. “Not just because you can use their
expertise but because you know Margene and Max will roast your balls if you don’t.”

“Yeah.”
He dragged his hand over his face. “I love it when politics dictates law
enforcement.”

“Just
remember I’m here whenever you need me.”

“And
I appreciate that.”

As
always his uncle’s voice settled him, allowed him to pull himself together and
focus on what needed doing. He was tempted to tell him about Dana, maybe ask
him to go by and check on her, but decided he’d have too much explaining to do.
He wondered what she was doing. If she was able to get a little rest. He’d
hated having to leave her, but he had no choice.

He
thought back to last night, how easy it was being with her. He didn’t remember relaxing
like that with any woman. Of course, before the Marines, he was just a
snot-nosed college kid who thought he had the world by the balls. Then he’d put
so much of himself into being a Marine, he hadn’t had much left over for
anything except just getting laid between missions.

Now
Dana was in danger and the chances were equal it was their latest serial killer
or some of the angrier residents. To protect her as well as to really know her,
he had to find a way to unlock the secret she kept tucked away in the deepest
part of her. And that would be easier said than done.

A
knock on the door jerked him out of his mental ramblings and brought him back
to reality. The door opened and Gaylen stuck his head in.

“Phone’s
ringing off the hook again.”

Cole
made a face. “Could have figured that. People wanting my head, no doubt. I know
Roy being out leaves us a man short.”

Gaylen
held up a hand. “We’ll manage. You’re doing the right thing with Dana.”

“Thanks.
Hope the others agree. What else?”

“Everyone’s
back from questioning people. They got zip. And in case you’ve missed all the
noise, the reporters are dogging it out in the parking lot again.”

Cole
looked at his watch. “It’s eleven o’clock. Don’t they ever go home?”

“Not
when they smell blood.”

He
dropped his feet to the floor and stood up. “Okay. I’ll go talk to them. Are
Andi and Mickey back yet?”

“Just
came in.”

“Get
everyone in the conference room. I’ll be there as soon as I get this over with.”

The
reporters were clustered at his front door like vultures at road kill. He saw
John Garrett standing at the back of the crowd and signaled him to go around to
the side. John would keep whatever he was told to himself until Cole gave the
go ahead to release it. Meanwhile, the editor was at least in a position to
write something that would possibly help settle the county down.

He
stuck his head back inside to tell Grace to let Garrett in the side door, then
turned to face the yammering flock.

“I
don’t have much to tell you at this moment, but here’s what we’ve got. Shannon
Fowler disappeared today on her way home after the bus dropped her off at the
head of Hancock Road. Her body was found just a little while ago with the help
of the Solize Search and Rescue team. The autopsy hasn’t been completed yet, so
I don’t have any details for you. I’m not going to speculate, so you’ll just
have to wait until I have something concrete to say.”

“This
is the same person who abducted and killed the other girl, right?” a tall,
lanky man in front asked.

“I
have no confirmation of that at this time.”

“Oh,
come on, Sheriff,” someone else shouted. “Two killings in a sparsely populated
county like Salado in three days? They have to be related.”

Cole
gritted his teeth. “As soon as we have evidence linking them I’ll be sure to
let you know.”

“We
saw Dana Moretti here earlier,” the lanky man said. “Then she was out at
Hancock Road with you. What’s the story with her?”

Cole
held up his hand. “That’s all I can tell you at this time and all the questions
I’m going to answer. I’d really appreciate it if you’d move your vans out of my
parking lot before I have to have my deputies move them for you. Thanks.”

“We’re
only going as far as the High Ridge Motel,” a woman informed him. “If we don’t
hear from you soon, we’ll be back with more questions.”

Wonderful.
Just what I need.

“Fine.
When I have something to share, you’ll know about it.”