Read A Man Like No Other Online
Authors: Aliyah Burke
Tags: #Literature & Fiction, #Erotica, #Action & Adventure, #Romantic Erotica
Still, it rubbed him raw to hear her
speak about it so casually. Then there was the part where she didn’t, couldn’t
or wouldn’t say if she remained in love with Sean. He felt primitive and longed
to beat his chest and shout from the rooftop, “Me Tarzan, you Jane,” then carry
her off where their world existed of just the two of them.
Silence lingered between them for a
while until he got up off the chair and crouched down before her. Her large
eyes stared up at him, no anger within them, just a quiet acceptance.
Acceptance of what?
“I don’t think Thurgood is in this
town,” she stated with a blink.
He sank to the floor so their knees
touched. “What makes you say that?”
“When my sister was killed, I found a
piece of paper on her body. I never gave it to the police. The name on it is a
small town on the other end of this forest. On the outskirts the national
forest but it doesn’t consist of much.”
“So we go tomorrow.”
“Right. Then maybe these agents here
will actually buy the fact we’re on vacation and we just stopped here for the
night. I think his sister is here but he only runs to her when he knows he’s in
trouble. So he may be here for the moment but he’ll go back home soon enough.”
He nodded. “In that case, we have the
night.”
Her eyes sparkled. “To sleep?” The
question was innocent.
Readjusting so he was on his hands and
knees, Taber moved over her. “Not quite what I had in mind for us, angel.”
Her tongue snuck out and she licked
along his lower lip. “More rug burns?”
His cock throbbed in his pants.
“Something like that,” he growled before covering her mouth with his own and
pressing them back to the carpet.
* * * *
When morning came, they were still on
the floor, wrapped in the bedding and naked. Serefina lay on top of him, her
head tucked under his chin. He lay there in silence and just enjoyed her being
in his arms. She fit against him perfectly and he knew he couldn’t let her go.
This woman was his future. She was entwined so intricately into his soul he
didn’t understand how he’d managed without her being a part of his life.
“Wake up, angel,” he murmured, brushing
his fingertips along her satiny skin.
“Time to go?” she questioned against
his chest.
“Yes.”
She sighed. “I see we’re still on the
floor.”
He grinned when she lifted herself
slightly and looked at him. “Too tired to move it appears.” She appeared
delightfully rumpled and beautiful.
“You wore me out,” she said.
“That went both ways, angel.” They’d
made love until neither could move.
“It sure did.” She winked and climbed
off him, not bothering to hide her naked body from him.
They showered together and dressed
before walking down to his truck. Talking and laughing, he noticed his brother
off to one side as they tossed their bags into the backseat of his truck.
What the hell is he still doing here? I
thought he said he was leaving.
“I’ll be right back.”
“No problem. I’ll be right here.”
Their eyes locked across the seat and
he slid the keys across to her. “Since you know where we’re going.”
“I’ll get some food while you speak to
your brother.”
She pocketed the keys and shut the
door. He met her at the front of the truck, hauled her in close and kissed her
until she sighed in his mouth. “Don’t miss me too much, angel.”
“I’ll do my best.” She walked away and
he stared after her until she could no longer be seen.
“You’re up early, Cort,” he said when
he reached his brother’s side.
“As are you.”
“I told you, we’re on vacation.
Pressing on. Thought you were leaving.”
Cort’s blue eyes narrowed. “I hope you
know what you’re doing.”
Taber noticed he ignored his own
comment on leaving. “You look a lot like Pete when you do that.” He shrugged.
“Serefina and I are having a good time, Cort.”
“She pulled guns on me, Tabby.” It was
obvious his brother still smarted from that, not to mention what she threatened
to shoot off.
“You always have a gun when you travel.
We’re federal agents, Cort. Besides, she was right in that you just entered the
room.”
“Okay, I’ll give her that. Where are
you two going?”
“She wants to do some hiking then we’re
going to
Possibly hit
her off and be in
“What about the two of you?”
“I want to keep her,” he admitted. “I
don’t want to let her go, ever. But I don’t know what will happen. She’s kind
of headstrong.”
Cort laughed. “Perfect match for you
then.” He sobered. “She must be something special, that’s obvious.”
“How so?”
“Other than your reputation? You’re a
man smitten, Tabby. You light up when she’s around. That woman, who I might add
just climbed into the driver’s seat of your truck—which I’ve not even been
allowed to do—makes you seem human, more than you’ve been in a long,
long
time. You’re calmer. Hell, look at
you, man; you’re on vacation! Treat her well, Tabby. I’ll see you in
The brothers hugged and Taber headed
off to the passenger side of his truck, feeling Cort’s gaze on him the entire
time. He waved as Serefina took them out of the parking lot and got them back
on the road.
Once they reached the small town of
hotel room. Inside, Serefina was on the phone and he waited until she ended the
call. Her gaze troubled when it met his.
“What happened?” he asked, not entirely
sure he wanted to know.
“There’s still no sign of Kline or
Forrest.”
News, which could be good or bad. The
feeling in his gut told him it wasn’t good.
“We should go hiking,” she said.
“I agree.” Hiking and recon went hand
in hand. He reached for his second bag and put it on the other bed in the room.
Serefina followed suit. A while later, they were armed and headed out to his
truck to find a trailhead.
Once there, they walked until they were
deep in the forest. Senses alert, they proceeded slowly.
“Look,” she whispered.
Following her finger, he noticed what
could pass as a deer path. And he would have agreed that’s what it was if not
for the faint impression of a boot print in it. He crouched beside the print.
“Man’s boot. He was moving quickly.
Let’s go.”
They spread out and he was glad they
had communication with one another courtesy of the earpieces and low-profile
microphones they wore. He heard a click in his ear and froze, waiting for her
to say something.
“I found him.”
He licked his lips and swallowed.
“Where?”
“There’s a cabin ahead. I don’t see any
vehicles but he’s outside talking to someone.” A slight pause. “His sister,
perhaps.”
“Coming to you.”
Grateful he’d learned how to track and
hunt growing up, he moved silently until he reached Serefina. She had just
about blended in with the landscape. Lowering his body next to hers, he peered
through his sight.
“He sure don’t look like much,” he
uttered.
If it truly was Dillard Thurgood, he
was a skinny unimpressive man. The terseness of Serefina told him she believed
it to be him. Stringy brown hair and not much in the way of looks. The
woman—Kelly Gordon, if she was Thurgood’s sister—was pretty enough, although on
her face Taber could easily read strain. Her hair was a mass of curls and had
been attempted to be controlled by a braid.
“I want to talk to his sister,”
Serefina stated.
“What for?”
“I just do. Let’s move closer and see
if we can find Forrest and Kline. Or at least where they may be being kept.”
“Slow and easy.”
They shared a look and he smiled when
she winked at him before slipping away, leaving him alone with guns and the
urge to strip her of her clothes and slip between her firm brown thighs. He
forced his attention back on the task before them and melted into the woods.
He watched the two by the cabin split
up—the man went back inside, and the woman walked off down a path, only to
vanish from view.
“She’s leaving,” he said, unsure of
where Serefina was at the precise moment.
“I’ve got her.” A small pause. “Be
careful.”
“Worried about me?”
“I’m not answering that.”
He chuckled softly. “Fine. But you be
careful as well, and
yes,
I am
worried about you.”
There was no response but he didn’t
expect one. They were on recon. Searching for the house, and now that they
found it, they needed to find the missing agents. As he prowled closer to the
house, he hoped Serefina was okay.
Chapter Nine
Serefina checked and double-checked the
area before slipping out from the cover and behind the woman. Hand clamped over
her mouth, she whispered, “Shhh. Not a word, Kelly. I’m not here to hurt you.”
The woman stiffened before she relaxed
and nodded. Cautiously, Serefina removed her hand. Kelly turned and looked at
Serefina. Her blue-green eyes full of confusion.
“What are you doing here? How did you
find this place?” she questioned in a rush, her voice raspy like a smoker’s.
“The deal was you leave my brother alone and I testify.”
“I’m not with the
I’m with ATF.”
The confusion grew. “ATF?”
“Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and
Explosives. I’m a federal agent.”
“What are you doing here?”
“I need to talk to you about your
brother.”
Kelly’s gaze grew wary. “I’ve heard it
before. My brother may not be an angel, but he’s all I have left in the world.”
“Your brother is a drug dealer, gun
runner and a murderer.”
“No, he’s not.” Her expression was full
of defiance and she punctuated her words with a firm shake of her head.
“I’ve seen it firsthand. And I’m sorry
you don’t want to believe it, but I speak the truth.” Serefina was torn between
the desire to shake Kelly until she realised the truth and feeling sorry for
her that she refused to see her brother for what he truly was.
She shook her head violently. “No!
Don’t lie to me.”
“Thirteen years ago, he was in
filled Kelly’s gaze. “He was there for a gun sale. A girl stumbled in on it and
ran when she was discovered. He chased her, and when he caught her, he stabbed
her,” tears pricked Serefina’s eyes, “forty-two times. Then he left, leaving
behind almost no trace of his existence. Except for two things. A piece of
paper with this town’s name on it and a witness.”
Kelly looked horrified. “You…you’re
lying.”
“No. I’m not lying. I’ve spent thirteen
years searching for him, the man who brutally killed that young woman.”
“How do you know? It could have been
someone else. My brother—”
“I was there. I’m the witness and the
one he killed was my sister.” A sharp breath from Taber echoed in her ear.
She’d not told him everything, but now he’d heard.
She could see the revulsion on Kelly’s
face yet her head shook in denial. “No. I don’t believe you.”
“He mistook her for me. Easy to do
since I’m a triplet. Or I was. Now I only have a twin.” Serefina reached out
and grabbed her arm. “He’s recently killed another agent and two more are
missing. I know you love your brother and want him safe. But he’s killing
people because he believes he has a free pass, a free pass because of you.
Don’t let him continue to take from others. Stop him, help us stop him.”
“Why should I believe you?”
“Have you ever asked your brother why
he wants you to protect him? Any person who stays within the realm of the law
doesn’t need a free pass. Why does he?”
It was obvious Kelly fought to retain
her belief in her brother but struggled to do so. “I can’t… You don’t know what
you’re asking.”
“Yes, I do. I don’t know what else he’s
done. If or how many more he’s killed. Could be none or it could be many. I’m
not standing here saying he killed dozens. I’m telling you what I know. Look,
you’ve been in the house. The two missing agents—let me describe them and you
tell me if you’ve seen them.”
The look on Kelly’s face while she
described Sean Forrest and Betsy Kline told her what she needed to know. They
were there.
“He said they were from the family who
wanted to kill me.”
“Are they alive?”
Kelly’s eyes filled with tears but she
nodded. Serefina relayed the information to Taber. “Where in the house are they
being held?”
“Don’t kill him,” Kelly begged.
“That depends on you, Kelly. You can
save him but you have to stop protecting him. If he thinks he can kill and walk
away, he won’t hesitate to do so. And I won’t stand by and let him kill the
agent with me.”
“I knew you were concerned about me,
angel,” Taber’s decadent voice purred in her ear.
She sighed and remained focused on
Kelly. Suddenly, Kelly appeared older than when they first locked gazes. Almost
like she’d been ignoring the stuff right in front of her but now she could no
longer do so.
“I can’t. He’s my brother.”
“I understand the need to protect
family, I really do, and had I known what he would do to my family, I would
have willingly sacrificed myself instead of hiding. Now I’m fighting to save
two more families from going through what mine did. Both of them have loved
ones waiting for them.”
The soft glow of evening fell around
them, creating a golden glow. Kelly swallowed and rubbed her bare arms.
“He’s all I have.”
Although disappointed, she kept it all
off her face. “Okay.”
Kelly seemed sceptical. “Okay?”
“I can’t force your cooperation, Ms.
Gordon. I asked, you refused.”
“So what happens now?”
“I’ll have an agent stay with you so
you can’t warn him, then I’m going in to get those agents back.”
“What about my brother?”
“What about him? He’s holding two
federal agents, and like I told you, your deal isn’t with me, I’m not a
to him or those agents, I choose the agents.”
Horror filled her eyes. “You’d kill
him?”
“If he leaves me no choice, yes.” She
addressed Taber. “Come meet me here. I want you watching her.”
Kelly’s gaze flicked nervously between
Serefina and the path she’d come down.
“Don’t try it,” Serefina warned.
Taber appeared a bit later and she
couldn’t explain her relief at seeing him again. Kelly stared at him and back
to her.
“What’s the plan?” he asked.
She pulled the Mossberg 500 pump action
shotgun off her back and readied it, content with the 410 gauge shells in it.
“You stay here with her. I’m going in.”
His blue eyes narrowed on her. “Like
hell.” He glanced between the two women. “I’ll tie her up and come with you.”
“Fine. Do it quickly.”
Kelly looked like she was going to
argue, but she didn’t speak. Soon, Thurgood's sister was gagged and tied to a
tree. As the sky grew darker, Serefina watched Taber prepare. When he was
ready, he moved to stand directly before her.
“You take care in there,” he growled
low.
“You too.” She ignored the growing pit
of unease in her belly. Before Taber, an op had been just that, an op. Now it
was all different.
He grabbed a fistful of her hair, drew
her head back and kissed her hard and fast. “I mean it, angel. No heroics.”
Biting back her emotional response, she
said, “Let’s go.”
Side by side, they slipped up the trail
back to the house. The closer they got, the more focused she became. In the
remaining light of day, she took one last look at Taber. Nothing but business.
His rugged face set in stone, that hawk-like stare searching endlessly around
them, ensuring safety.
The house came into view, using hand
signals to communicate, they approached with caution. She preceded him up the
porch steps and gingerly tested the doorknob. The door opened with ease, not
surprising though considering where they were. The man obviously thought he was
safe. And why not? He’d conned the
protecting him.
Voices reached them as they slipped inside.
A light was on in the back but she directed his attention to a door off to the
right. Taber went first. She looked down the darkened stairwell.
“Basement,” he muttered in her ear.
“You got it? I’m going up.”
“Be careful.”
“You too.”
She crept off towards the open
staircase. Another quick glance back to where the voices came from and she
moved in silence up the stairs. Five doors. With quick and quiet precision, she
checked them all and found them empty.
“Shit!” a male hollered.
That was followed by footsteps on the
wood floor. She pressed herself against a wall and made herself as small as
possible. When no one came up the stairs, she swore. That meant one thing.
They’d gone down. Where Taber was.
She longed to ask him how he was but
she didn’t risk it. It could give away that she was in the house with him.
Fingers tight around the gun she held, she checked the stairs before dashing
down them, careful to make no sound.
The door Taber had gone through stood
open and she hesitated before swinging around and going back to the place the
voices had been coming from. This room also sat empty. But she counted four
plates with food still on them.
So it was at four against two. At least
four. Retreating, she headed back to the steps which led down. They were still
dark and she moved cautiously, not knowing the house.
“Well well, looks like we have another
agent to dispose of.”
The masculine voice was one she’d never
forget as long as she lived. Cold and calculating, it still could make her wake
up in a sweat. Dillard Thurgood. The deep timbre didn’t fit the man, who was
small and wimpy.
She had to take a moment and find her
centre. To be this close to the man who’d killed her sister so violently made
her almost reckless. She bit the inside of her cheek until she drew blood and
had it within her to continue carefully.
“It’s not going to work,” Taber ground
out.
“Of course it is. I’m untouchable. I’m
a fuckin’ ghost. It doesn’t matter how many of you I kill.”
Rage boiled up and she snuck down the
rest of the steps. Pressed against the wall, she inched along until she reached
the corner, then she peered around. Mostly blackness but at the far side, she
could see some light from a room.
“Not anymore. Your sister isn’t going
to protect you anymore.”
A sharp bark of disbelieving laughter
filled the air. “She wouldn’t do that. She would never believe me capable of
such things.”
“Suit yourself. She’s in our custody
now. Outside.”
“Go check,” Thurgood ordered.
Serefina waited until the man came
around the corner before smashing the butt of the shotgun into his jaw. He fell
with a thud and she kept going.
Halfway across the room, she heard a
shuffle of feet against the floor. The dark split with muzzle flash and she
jerked to the floor, fire erupting along her arm. She rolled and fired, the
Mossberg answering the bark of a shot with a much larger one. Ignoring the
pain, she pumped it and fired again until she heard a cry. Unfortunately, there
was another man and she was caught in the middle.
Taber heard the shots outside the room
he was in. Sean and Betsy were alive, badly beaten but they still breathed.
Facing him was none other than Dillard Thurgood and one other man. He tried not
to think about Serefina facing the three armed gunmen alone but it wasn’t easy.
Another shot from the shotgun
ricocheted through the air. A man’s body flew backward into the room, a gaping
hole in his chest. Dillard and the other man jumped and aimed their weapons at
the door.
“Shit,” Sean muttered through his
swollen jaw.
He couldn’t agree more.
“Show yourself,” Dillard commanded.
A man stumbled into the room, using him
as a shield was Serefina. No shotgun anymore but she had her SIG shoved up
under his chin and another at the man’s side. Taber could see blood on her but
being as there was blood on the other man as well, he didn’t know if or how
badly she was injured.
“You,” Dillard gasped. “I killed you.”
It was the smile of death on her face.
“Thirteen years is a long time, Dillard Thurgood.”
His hand shook. “How… This isn’t
possible.” Taber watched him pale even further.
“Fina,” Sean said in a whisper.
The admiration in his voice didn’t sit
well with Taber, but he kept his mouth shut. In his lap, Taber held an
unconscious Betsy, and he wondered how they were going to get out of there. The
back of his head throbbed and he could feel the goose egg forming. Serefina
never looked in his direction.
“You can’t kill me,” Thurgood said.
“I’m protected.”
“That so? I have your sister.” She aimed
at the man across the room beside Thurgood and pulled the trigger.
Click.
Without missing a beat, she
tossed that gun. It skidded to a stop close to Taber’s hand.
“My sister?”
“Yep.”
“Impossible.”
“Call her. She never made it back to
her house.” Taber slowly shifted and inched closer to the gun as Serefina
spoke. “See, it wasn’t me you killed thirteen years ago. It was my sister. You
took mine; it’s only fair I take yours.” Her expression turned even more
sinister. “And without her, what protection do you have?”
Taber was proud of the way she
manipulated Thurgood, but he couldn’t be sure she didn’t actually mean those
words. Another shuffle to the gun. He froze when Betsy moaned in his arms.
“Call my sister,” he ordered the man
beside him. “You won’t make it out of here, there’s one of you. Three others
without weapons and three of us, two who are armed. You have one gun.”
“Boss, she’s not there. She never made
it back,” the man beside him said.
“Hmm, looks like I still have a
bargaining chip,” Serefina said. Taber watched her reach under her shirt and
withdraw another gun. “Plus, I have another gun.”