American Heroes Series - 01 - Resurrection (14 page)

She suddenly pulled her face from his neck and planted her soft, warm lips on his. Her hands were in his hair, her delicious body pressed up against him, and Ethan knew he was a dead man.  With is last shred of self-control, he tried to pull away from her.

“Cydney,” he spoke even though her lips were on his mouth. “Honey, let me go. You need to get some rest and….”     

She plunged her tongue into his mouth and Ethan lost his fight. He knew she was not fully awake, he knew she was distraught, but he also knew she was the sexiest, most beautiful woman he had ever seen. He couldn’t help his physical reaction to her, as wrong as he knew it was.  He responded quickly and with equal fervor, like a dam bursting with everything gushing out all over the place. Soon he was taking the aggressor role and not at all distressed about it. The more he tasted, the more he wanted.

Cydney was like a woman possessed. She kissed him furiously, her hands moving through his dark hair, down his wide shoulders, and the length of his back.  The sleeping pills were having a very bizarre effect on her; they had erased her inhibitions and everything she felt for the man, all of the animal attraction, was bursting through like a fire hose.  More than that, she hadn’t been intimate with anyone since Brad. Eight years of sexual inactivity was finding release. Her natural reserve was running wild with help from her emotions and medication.

Cydney’s hands went to his shirt and she began unbuttoning it. Ethan tried to stop her but she latched on to his earlobe and suckled furiously. With a growl, he surrendered, feeling her fingers as they danced over his flesh, submitting completely when she ripped the shirt open, rolled him onto his back, and began kissing his chest. He lay there, staring at the ceiling and savoring every moment of her heated mouth and soft hands.

He knew it was wrong; he knew it was as unprofessional and wrong as it could possibly be. But he felt such a strong attraction to the woman that he couldn’t stop her or himself, no matter how unwise it was.  The fire was overtaking him and he couldn’t seem to stop it. But when Cydney moved to unfasten his belt, he came to his senses one last time.

“No, Cyd,” he grabbed her hands to still them. “Don’t do it; you’ll regret it and I don’t want anything to ruin what we’ve started.”

She gazed back at him with her luscious hazel eyes. She suddenly didn’t look so over-medicated or sleepy. In fact, she looked rather lucid.  On all fours, she crawled up on him, perched over his body as her hair draped down over the both of him.

“I won’t regret anything,” she purred in her sweet, sultry voice. “But if you will, I’ll stop.”

He exhaled, coming out as something of a grunt. “It’s not that,” he murmured. “It’s just that this isn’t happening naturally. It’s not the result of a natural progression; it’s because you’re emotional and doped up on sleeping pills and I’ve got an attraction to you that I can’t control. It’s lust, Cyd. I don’t want what we have growing between us to be cheapened by it.”

She sat back on his flat belly, her gaze steady as she studied his face and absorbed his words. Suddenly, she unzipped her jog suit jacket and threw it to the ground. She was only wearing a tank top beneath and quick as a flash, she pulled it over her head. Ethan found himself staring at breasts that were more beautiful that anything he could have imagined. They were full and perfect and wildly arousing, and oblivion began to close in around him again.

“Oh, my God,” he breathed.

Cydney took his hands and put them on her breasts. “Are you saying you don’t want any of this?”

Ethan could hardly speak; he wanted to clamp down on her soft flesh but didn’t dare move. Still holding his hands to her breasts, Cydney leaned down and gently, erotically, suckled his lower lip.

“Well?” she whispered.

Ethan closed his eyes; he had to. He knew, deep down, that he simply couldn’t take advantage of her. Sure, he could make love to her right now and get it out of his system. But it would wreck everything he was working to establish with her. He had to be strong. He had to be in control, for both their sakes. To be intimate with her now simply wasn’t the right time.

Opening his eyes, he gazed up into her beautiful hazel orbs. Carefully, he rolled her onto her back so that he was in the dominate position.  Without a word, he removed his hands from her breasts and kissed her mouth, gently at first but then with a wild roar of passion before abruptly pulling away. The swiftness of it left them both breathless.

“You cannot possibly know how badly I want you right now,” he murmured. “But I just can’t do it. It’s not the right time for us, Cyd. We haven’t even been on a first date yet but I swear to you, this night is only a foretaste of what’s to come. I plan to come to know you very, very well and I then I plan to make love to you every night for the rest of my life. But for now, you need to sleep and I need to find your daughter.” He gently cupped her head and kissed her sweetly. “Do you understand me?”

She gazed up at him, feeling rejected and flattered at the same time.  Her mind wasn’t quite right, not enough to realize that he was doing what was best for them both.  But she nodded her head.

“I understand you.”

“All right?”

“All right.”

He smiled faintly and kissed her again. Sitting up and looking around, he spied her tank top and gently pulled it back over her head. Once she was decently dressed again, he pulled the covers over her and tenderly tucked her in. Then he kissed her again, lingering on her sweet lips.

“Go back to sleep, honey,” he rubbed his nose against hers. “I’ll be out in the living room if you need me.”

She signed contentedly and promptly fell asleep.  Ethan watched her a moment, blowing out his cheeks with a heavy sigh and reminding himself to never again give her any sleeping pills. They made her crazy. Going into the bathroom, he buttoned his shirt back up, put cold water on his face, and struggled to compose himself.

It took fifteen minutes and applications of cold washcloths on his privates to achieve it.

CHAPTER EIGHT

It was dawn. The pink and gray sky was growing lighter over the San Gabriel Mountains, a beautiful view from the hotel suite where Nat and Joseph and Coral now sat at the breakfast bar.  None of them had slept the night before even though Olivia was passed out on the couch.  It had been a strategy session between the three of them; given the information Olivia had provided last night, the scheme had changed considerably.  A call to their leader overseas had confirmed it.

Nat had been on the phone for the better part of an hour as Coral and Joseph talked quietly between them. At one point, Joseph went into the small kitchen of the suite and made coffee, returning with a mug for himself and Coral. By this time, Nat was off the phone.

“Well?” Joseph sat down. “Are we set?”

Nat nodded. “His Eminence is extremely pleased with what we have accomplished and he agrees with the change in plans,” he said. “Let’s go over it one more time.”

Coral nodded, her heavy makeup smeared from being up all night. “I’ll take the girl with me to the airport and wait for you both. But you know she won’t go quietly. How do we plan to keep her quiet?”

They had already been over this during the course of the night and Nat had little patience with the woman who had sunk millions of dollars into their cause.  It was the only reason he tolerated her; that, and the fact that their superior had instructed him to do so.  Deep in the bowels of the Vatican, their leader gave directions that were meant to be followed.

The man known as Cardinal Bishop Baldemar Wildegrav was an extremely powerful man and the Supreme Sovereign of The Fourth Reich of Enlightenment. It was at his bequest they had come for The Lucius Robe. One did not deny the Cardinal and live to tell the tale.

“I have something to give her that will make her sleep,” Nat replied patiently. “You’ll get her to the airport and onto the plane and wait for us. We’ll be there shortly.”

“What about a passport?” Coral persisted. “Won’t they want to see her passport?”

Nat’s patience was fading. “Coral, it’s your plane at a private hanger at Los Angeles International Airport.  The plane and the hanger are registered under your corporation, Izan Enterprises,” he gestured with his hands as if she was an idiot. “The limo will be here in a half hour; you’ll go to the hanger, get on the plane, and wait. Joe and I will be there as soon as we can. Don’t worry about any passports other than your own.”

“But what about a flight plan? Where are we going? We won’t be able to get the child into any country without a passport.”

“His Eminence is taking care of that. Our first stop is de Gaulle Airport in Paris and we will be given instructions on proceeding once we arrive. Many supporters are in France and we’ll have no problem making it through Customs without a passport for the girl.”

Coral fell silent, contemplating what the day would bring. Her smeared-makeup gaze traveled to the sleeping bundle on the couch.

“I just don’t understand why we need to take her,” she muttered, sipping her coffee. “She told us all she knows. She’ll be a burden we simply don’t need.”

Nat had had enough; he was tired and irritated with Coral and smacked the table with his open palm, causing both Coral and Joseph to jump at the sharp sound.

“We went through this all night,” he hissed. “Must I go through this again? What she told us last night brings an entirely new element to this situation. After informing His Eminence about what the girl told us, we were instructed to do anything necessary to secure that robe immediately. We’re not going to wait for the mother to turn it over. That could take days or weeks and, inevitably, the FBI will get involved in spite of our warning. It’s simply a matter of time. Joseph and I are therefore going to take matters into our own hands and take the robe when the museum first opens, before it gets particularly crowded. We will have a car waiting to take us to the airport where we will meet you and the girl and take off for France. No one will suspect what your private jet will carry; you are not linked with Die Auhänger in any way.  We need the girl to prevent the cops from doing anything rash or stupid. They’ll think twice with a young girl as our hostage. Now, do you finally understand?”

Coral nodded, wide eyed. Nat was quick tempered, violent and unpredictable. But they were all working towards the same goal, she told herself. Besides, she was afraid of him; too afraid to attempt to pull out or do anything foolish.

Moreover, her instructions on this matter, as they had from the beginning, were coming from a higher source. The Cardinal had her within his control as well with promises of a high position when the new Reich finally came to power. The television evangelist that everyone laughed at would finally have the last laugh. Those who ridiculed her for her dramatic ways and clown-like makeup would finally bow in her presence. She would make them pay.

“All right,” she whispered. “I’d better get ready, then.”

Coral rose from the table and disappeared into one of the bedrooms.  Joseph’s dusky eyes were on the sleeping girl on the couch.  Nat caught his expression and turned to see Olivia sleeping quite soundly.

“I’ll wait until right before we leave before sedating her,” he said. “It will do us no good if she wakes up before she gets to the airport.”

Joseph wasn’t particularly happy that Olivia was being forced to accompany them on their travels, but his instructions were coming from higher up as well. They had no choice. Still, he felt very sorry for the bright young lady, caught up in something she could hardly comprehend.

“What are you using on her?” he asked softly.

“Halothane.  It’s a general anesthetic. A few good whiffs and she’ll be out for a while.”

“How’d you get that stuff?”

Nat shrugged. “It’s amazing what you can get in Mexico for the right price.  Halothane, and other narcotics, come in very handy when needed.”

“So you always carry stuff like that with you?”

“You know what the boy scouts say; be prepared.”

Joseph nodded, raking his fingers through his dark hair and glancing to the warming mountains out the window.  He could feel his trepidation begin to mount at the thought of what lay ahead.

“Well,” he grunted as he stood up. “I’d better get ready for work. Are we clear on what’s going to happen today?”

Nat nodded. “Clear as rain.”

Joseph didn’t ask any more questions. If Nat said he was clear, he was. The only problem was that Joseph hoped he had the nerve to carry out what he must.

***

“Damn it,” Stu growled. “Why didn’t you call me?”

Cydney sat her desk, gazing up at a very angry security chief.  She was dressed in attractive black slacks and a black shirt that clung deliciously to her shapely body.  Her blond hair was pulled back, revealing her lovely if not exhausted face.  When she told Stu the wild story of the previous night, it was apparent why she was so exhausted.  Even though she had been told not to divulge what had happened, she felt the need to confide in Stu. He was her friend as well as security chief, and Stu was positively beside himself at the news.

“Because you couldn’t have done anything,” she put her head in her hands, groggy from the sleeping pills and sick to her stomach with worry. “Nobody can know what happened, Stu, especially not Milt. Promise me you won’t tell anyone. Olivia’s life could be in danger if you do. I’m only telling you so you know how serious this threat is.”

Stu was gearing up for another rage but he could see by the look on Cydney’s face that she couldn’t take it. So he huffed and puffed and sat heavily in her visitor’s chair. He watched her as she toyed with a pen, seemingly verging on tears. He didn’t blame her; he realized he was fairly upset as well.

“So what are they doing to find her?” he asked hoarsely.

Cydney shook her head. “They were working on it all night,” she said faintly. “When I woke up this morning, there were a couple of cops and Agent Lowell in my kitchen.  Kyle and Megan spent the night in Olivia’s room and then Kyle drove me to work.  Agent Lowell said I needed to pretend that everything was normal, so here I am. But I don’t feel normal. I feel… I feel like my life is hanging on a precipice. One good shove and off I go.”