Big Easy Temptation (15 page)

Courtney stood up. “You’re a good man, Dax. I hope she realizes what she has in you.
I’m going to go and file this.”

Her eyes were suspiciously red as she walked out.

Dax frowned. He did not understand most women. The good news was he did get Holland.
And only she mattered.

He picked up the phone to call his mother. He had an engagement to plan.

*   *   *

D
o you have a description of this man?” Her uncle had gone utterly still the minute
she told him about the man who’d been waiting for her in the prison’s parking lot.

She nodded. “I talked to him for probably ten minutes. I can definitely describe him.
He had two other goons with him, but I didn’t see them as clearly.”

“He didn’t disguise himself? Didn’t wear sunglasses or a hat?”

“No.” She understood why that disturbed her uncle. The guy in the suit had behaved
like a man who didn’t have anything to worry about, as if he was above anything she
could do to him. She’d worked law enforcement long enough to know that was a possible
scenario. There were places she couldn’t go, things that were classified. She wasn’t
naive and she certainly understood that powerful people sometimes went to very long
lengths to keep secrets hidden.

With a deep sigh, her uncle walked to the window on his left. His office had windows
on three sides. He’d always told her he liked to be
able to intimidate his men at all times. Now he slowly approached each window, closing
the blinds and sealing them in.

“What haven’t you told me?” she blurted. Her uncle would never have closed those blinds
unless he was about to say something he didn’t want other people to witness.

“As a result of my investigation, I found some pictures I didn’t release to the press.
Pictures that came to me after Admiral Spencer killed himself.”

“Of what?”

“Images taken from a hidden camera on Amber Taylor’s purse.”

Holland blinked in shock, cold washing through her. “Why didn’t you tell me before?”

“Honey, because you’re in love with that man’s son and seeing those photos could hurt
his family. From what I’ve been able to piece together, the entire thing was a blackmail
scheme gone wrong.”

“You believe the Russian mob used Amber Taylor to blackmail Admiral Spencer?” Dax
had never said a thing about a blackmail threat. “Why would the Russian mob give a
shit about an admiral? I know the Spencer family has money, but surely they’ve got
bigger fish to fry.”

“Maybe it wasn’t about the money. Maybe it was about his connections.”

“But who? The admiral had run with the same friends for years, so why now?”

Her uncle sat forward. “Because someone figured out his weakness and decided to exploit
it shortly after the admiral made a brand-new connection, thanks to his son. A lot
of ruthless people wouldn’t hesitate to use that relationship to their advantage.”

“What . . . Oh, god. Zack. I mean President Hayes. You think they were trying to use
him to get to President Hayes?”

Beau sat back, shaking his head. “It’s still hard for me to believe you can legitimately
call the president of the United States by his first name, but yes. The admiral died
six weeks after the election. You can’t tell me the timing isn’t interesting?”

No, she couldn’t. Holland swallowed and sank into her seat.

“Those are some serious people you’re involved with, honey. And they come with serious
enemies. In my opinion, someone connected to the Russian mob wanted dirt on Admiral
Spencer. It would have come in handy later when he almost certainly would have been
appointed to the Joint Chiefs of Staff.”

She closed her eyes, the gravity of the implications crushing her. The Joint Chiefs
of Staff advised the president, senate, and congress on all matters military. They
had enormous influence.

“But wouldn’t it have all come out when the White House vetted him? Surely they would
have discovered his penchant for teenaged girls?”

“If these people are powerful enough to hold a man like Admiral Spencer in the palm
of their hand, it stands to reason that they can coerce other powerful people to keep
their secrets,” her uncle reasoned.

True. “So why kill him even before Zack’s inauguration?”

Her uncle approached and wrapped a hand around hers. “They had no reason to since
he hadn’t had the opportunity to prove himself useful yet. I think they blackmailed
him but didn’t have anything to do with his death. After all, they lost a big fish
when the admiral’s aide turned him in. I also believe that’s why the Navy shipped
Peter Morgan out and put him on a classified mission. They were protecting their informant.”

“I don’t have any record of that.” She shook her head at the statement. “Which naturally
I wouldn’t because it’s classified.”

It connected a whole lot of dots. It explained why she couldn’t contact Admiral Spencer’s
aide. The Russian mob’s role and motive was enough to make her gut churn, but it made
sense.

“You saw the pictures?”

Her uncle closed his eyes briefly. “I did. I hoped you wouldn’t have to. Do you need
to? I can have them retrieved. I kept them out of the public eye because there was
no need to hurt the Spencer family further.”

“You’re sure Dax’s father killed himself?”

He nodded. “I can’t see another scenario, Holland. We never found a note, but I think
the old boy couldn’t take it anymore. All that press. His whole life’s work thrown
down the toilet. His wife filing for divorce.”

“What?”

“She hadn’t filed, but she had visited a divorce lawyer the day before he died. You
can’t know the true measure of a man until he’s placed under pressure. I can’t say
I wouldn’t do the same thing.”

“But Dax is so sure. I know the admiral loved his children.”

“Yes, but he was still just a man. And at some point I’m sure ending his life seemed
like an act of mercy to spare them what would have been a horrible trial that would
have kept the sordid affair all over the media. The Spencer family would have been
dragged through the spotlight at the exact moment President Hayes was appointing his
cabinet. His friendship with Dax would have come under some nasty scrutiny. Hell,
if anyone had a reason to kill the admiral, it wasn’t the Russians. It was the White
House.”

She stood abruptly. “He would never. I know Zack.”

“Sometimes the president doesn’t call all the shots. And I’m speculating. I don’t
believe for a second that the admiral did anything except honorably fall on his sword.
He spared his family and the Navy an enormous amount of pain.”

Holland absorbed another shock for the day. “You think he did the right thing?”

“I saw those terrible pictures, honey, so I know he did.”

“What the hell do I do now? Dax won’t give up. I can try to talk to him, but I don’t
think I’ll be able to persuade him to stop. I think I have to at least prove that
his father was set up.”

Her uncle hesitated, then let loose a reluctant sigh. “I’m going to give you a file.
It’s my personal investigation. The pictures will be inside. If you want to stop Dax,
show him these images. Otherwise, you’re trying to take on something you have zero
jurisdiction over.”

“But there’s something sinister and wrong here. Why haven’t you continued looking
for the truth?”

“Because I like breathing. And the Russian mob is something bigger than local law
enforcement. If the FBI wants to investigate, I’ll help them out, but I’m not putting
any of my men in the line of fire when it isn’t their responsibility and it would
only ruffle feathers. We have other crimes to fight and solve every single day.”

Uncle Beau lacked the funds and manpower to fight every battle. It was a sad truth
of law enforcement. Like doctors, police officers were often forced to triage a situation
rather than fix it.

She waited quietly while her uncle unlocked his file cabinet and retrieved the pictures
that would prove Dax’s father’s
guilt.

D
ax opened the door to Holland’s place with a sigh, thankful the long day was over.
All he wanted was to eat a little something before he crawled into bed with her—and
not necessarily in that order. Food could really wait. He needed her love and affection.

What a freaking day.

He set the pizza down on the counter. “Sweetheart? You home?”

For a moment he thought he was alone. He was about to pick up his phone and give her
a call when he saw her hair blowing out on the balcony. He watched her for a moment,
her slender form graceful, before he joined her. Dusk had nearly arrived and her shadow
moved along the window, past the little bistro table and chairs, as if she’d begun
pacing.

He opened the door and immediately found himself with an armful of Holland. She threw
herself against his chest, wrapping that body around him. “Hey, if I’d known I was
going to get this kind of welcome, I would have snuck out of work and found you hours
ago.”

She turned her face up. “It was a long day. That prison is depressing.”

He studied her and smoothed her hair back. “I’m sorry about that,
sweetheart. I wish I could have been with you. Did you learn anything new?”

“I found out that Sue Carlyle is a raging drug addict with serious mental problems.
All that getting high affected her memory. She can’t tell us anything. It was another
dead end. I’m so sorry.”

Clearly, Holland was upset about that. He hugged her tight. “It’s not your fault.
This investigation was cold. We knew it would be hard.”

She squeezed him back. After the day he’d had, he winced.

“Are you all right?” She eased away, staring up at him with concerned blue eyes.

“It’s nothing,” he assured her. “I just damn near got mowed down near Jackson Square
today. I’m fairly certain that drunk asshole started hitting the bottle way too early.”

Holland gasped. “What happened? Tell me.”

He kissed her forehead, doing his best to soothe her. “Just some of the usual rowdiness
in the city.”

She took a step back, looking him over. Her stare immediately fell to the nasty spot
on his arm where he’d crashed to the concrete in order to avoid the oncoming SUV.
Luckily, he moved fast or he would have been in serious trouble. He’d had a few nasty
words for that inebriated prick who naturally hadn’t stopped so he could say them.

“Tell me everything.” Her eyes had flared wide with fear, tears shimmering. She ran
her hands over him as though trying to seek out the damage and heal it with her touch.

Dax sighed because worrying her wasn’t how he wanted to spend his evening, but maybe
the whole story would set her at ease. She looked genuinely upset. “Yeah, the fucker
never even put his foot on the brakes. I don’t know if he even realized what he’d
almost done. Idiot. You want to explain to me why there are never any cops around
when I need one, but at least three ready to write me a ticket when I go five miles
over the speed limit?”

“Did you get the plate?” Her voice trembled.

He frowned. “No. I was trying to scrape myself off the concrete. I
guess I should have asked if anyone else had, but I doubt it. Everything happened
so fast.” The people around him had been concerned with helping him up and making
sure he was all right. No one had offered him information about the car or driver.

“Dax . . .” She threw her arms around him and held tight.

What the devil?
He appreciated her concern but didn’t need it.

Easing back, he cupped her face and studied her for a moment. “Holland, I’m fine.”

“That’s the second time since you’ve been in town that someone’s nearly killed you.”

What was her point? “Well, I promise not to run after street thieves again and I’ll
stay away from Jackson Square. I really am fine, sweetheart. After the incident, I
picked up lunch for the office and went back. No harm, no foul.”

She hugged him again, trailing her fingers down his face. She stared at him as if
nothing was more precious to her. “I can’t stand the thought of you being hurt. I
would do just about anything to make sure you’re all right. You know that, don’t you?”

That prison must have really rattled her. “I would do the same for you. Stop looking
like you lost your best friend. I’m right here and I’m not going anywhere.”

“Really? And if I can’t solve this case?”

He didn’t want to think about that tonight. Besides, she would. He knew Holland. She
was brilliant and had tenacity. She wouldn’t stop searching. So Amber Taylor’s mom
had turned out to be a bust. If the woman’s drug-addled memory couldn’t be trusted,
it was a setback but not Holland’s fault. Maybe he should talk to Sue Carlyle’s cellmates.
Sometimes crazy people told kernels of truth in their tales.

He would ring some contacts and call in a few favors, maybe set up an interview or
two. Talking to the guards might shed some light, too. But if the prison had disturbed
Holland that much, he’d leave her out of it. He’d do everything he could to save her
from more distress.

But now he intended to make her feel so much better.

Dax tangled his fingers in her silky waves as he lowered his mouth to hers. Kissing
Holland was so different. Before her, pressing his lips to another woman’s had merely
been the beginning of the seduction, an eventual means to an end. It was something
he’d done to get both he and his partner ready for sex.

With Holland, kissing was a thrill to savor, a destination he could enjoy for long
hours. He devoured her mouth, dragging his tongue over her lower lip until she sighed
and melted against him, winding her arms around his torso. Dax felt her start to relax.

That was good, because she didn’t need to think here. When they were alone, together,
that was their safe haven. They had no room here for anything beyond the two of them.

In the distance, Dax heard the music from nearby clubs starting up. As darkness fell,
the party would be starting, but he was only interested in the good times he could
share with Holland. Though he rather liked the idea of enjoying their “privacy” in
the middle of a crowd.

He skimmed his palms down her back before finding her backside and filling his hands
with her as he drew her closer. She gave him the sweetest little whimper. The overhead
light of her balcony wasn’t illuminated. Up here, the neon signs flashing below seemed
hazy, almost soft as the earthy plants in their clay pots all around filtered their
garish colors.

She kissed him once more, then heaved a weighty sigh before turning away again to
lean against the wrought-iron railing. She looked pensive, her shoulders clustered
around her ears.

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s just hard. My job can get me down from time to time. There are some things I
can’t fix and it really makes me crazy.”

Dax wrapped his arms around her from behind and was satisfied when she let her head
fall back against him. “There’s only so much you can do.”

“It makes me angry.”

“I know you. If you say you’re unable to do more, then I know you’ve done everything
you could. Now you need to let it go.” He
kissed along the shell of her ear, satisfied when she shuddered. “You need to relax,
sweetheart. Let me take over.”

She paused, then let out a little groan. “I shouldn’t, but I can’t help it. I need
you, Dax. I need you so badly.”

“Tell me about it. Tell me about your day.” His hand cupped her breast.

She shook her head. “I want to forget it.”

He thumbed her nipple, feeling it stiffen against his thumb. He could give her pleasure
and a respite from the day. “I can help you with that.”

“Let’s go inside.” Her voice sounded slightly husky.

“Hmm,” he murmured in her ear. “The party is just getting started out here, sweetheart.
Hush, no one can see you. No one has any idea what we’re doing up here. We’re just
a couple looking out over the Quarter, enjoying a romantic evening.”

He slid his hand down to the waistband of her slacks, aware of her frozen and staring
down at the people on the street, as if gauging who might be able to see them. A trellis
of climbing ivy concealed his movements, but they still had full view of the action
below. Couples milled about, holding hands and kissing. Groups of friends strolled
through the Quarter. People began to fill up the restaurants and bars.

“Look out there. Tell me what you see.” He would use both mental and physical tactics
to slip past her defenses so he could take her mind off her problems. So as he spoke,
he slipped his hand just under her waistband and down to the silk of her undies.

Her breath caught. “Dax, what are you doing?”

With his other hand, he pinched her nipple lightly, just enough to make her gasp.
He also reminded her who was in charge for now. “I’m having a nice time with the most
beautiful woman in the world and she’s going to let me. Aren’t you, sweetheart? Because
you know I’ll take you somewhere wonderful, someplace where you don’t have to think
about anything but your next orgasm. So give over and let me do my job.”

“Your job?”

“Taking care of you. I’ve decided it’s my primary job in life.” He whispered the words
against her ear. “So hush unless I ask you a question. No one can see us. They’re
too busy with their own pleasures. Now look at that couple on the street below and
tell me what you see.”

They were standing in line, waiting to be seated. The woman wore a white sundress
and the man slacks with a collared shirt. Occasionally, she looked up at him as if
they shared a secret. He always gave her a sly smile back.

“They’ve been together for a while. You can see it in the way he holds her hand, the
way they look at each other,” she murmured.

“Yes.” He nipped her ear and she moaned.

Emboldened, Dax slipped his hand a bit lower, well under the band of her bikini underwear,
skimming the pad of her sex with his fingertips and intentionally missing her clitoris.
She was already heating up for him.

“God, Dax, please touch me there. Please.” Holland arched her back, grinding her firm
backside against his stiff cock.

She wasn’t playing fair, but then two minutes ago she’d told him she hadn’t wanted
to play at all, so he was calling this a win.

He smiled as he soothed the little bite he’d given her with his tongue, tracing it
along the shell of her ear. “I’ll get there, but not until you give me what I want.
So tell me what makes you think they’ve been together for a while.”

“You’re going to kill me, Spencer. Fine. They’re comfortable holding hands. She leans
into him. She smiles at him differently than she does at everyone else. Watch her.
She’s polite to others, but when he talks, she lights up.”

He teased down farther, brushing the little jewel that brought them both so much pleasure.
He let the pad of his finger rub against it, starting the slow roll to her orgasm.
His erection jumped when he realized she was already wet. “Where do you think they’re
at in their relationship?”

“They’re in love.” Her voice had taken on a breathless quality as she watched the
couple take their seats. The restaurant doors were glass with big bay windows. The
couple was seated in the front. The man moved quickly, not allowing the waiter to
seat his date. He pulled out the chair for her, held a hand out to ease her down.

“I think you’re right,” he whispered as he rubbed her sensitive nub in little circles.

He dipped his fingers lower, slipping into her labia where he found all the evidence
of her arousal he needed. She was so wet. All he had to do was touch her. No woman
had ever responded to him the way Holland did. It was as if she was made for him.

“He treats her like you treat me.” Her head fell back against his chest, a sure sign
of her surrender.

They hadn’t exchanged words of love, not exactly. He didn’t say them now, either.
He wanted to save it. He had plans for his girl.

“Yes, he treats her the way I treat you. I’ll bet he’s always thinking of her. She’s
the last thought he has before he goes to sleep at night and the first when he wakes
up in the morning. He can’t work sometimes because she’s taking over all his thoughts.
And when he’s around her? Oh, he’s useless for anything but touching her, being close
to her. She’s his home.”

“Dax,” she said, her voice breaking.

“Shh, let it happen, sweetheart. I won’t say another word.” She wasn’t ready for undying
declarations tonight. They needed a little more time. He had a bit left to give her.

He picked up the pace, her arousal making her melt even more quickly. Over and over,
he circled her clitoris, her body beginning to move in time to his. She thrust her
pelvis against his hand, offering herself up to him. They weren’t watching the street
below anymore. He was watching her. And with her head thrown back and her eyes closed,
she gave herself over to him.

Her body shuddered, and he caught her mouth in a kiss to cover her cries. He was fairly
certain no one would hear those sweet whimpers
over the raucous racket on the street below, but she would be mortified if they did.