Chasing Danger (7 page)

“Say it.” Another nip of his teeth, this time against her jaw as he made his way back to her mouth.

“I want your cock in me.” Her voice was a breathless whisper.

Dax let out a triumphant sound before his mouth was on hers again, his tongue stroking against hers in a rhythm that matched his stroking fingers. Her inner walls clenched even tighter at the erotic rhythm, her muscles pulling taut. It wouldn’t take much for her to come, not when she was so primed.

And she wanted him inside her when she did.

Dax suddenly tore his mouth from hers, his breathing harsh as he stared down at her, his electric eyes piercing. “Soon I’m going to be inside you with no barrier.” An erotic promise.

Her nipples pebbled even tighter at his words. They’d been tested even though it had been a while for them both, but she was dying to feel him inside her without anything between them. As soon as she’d been on the pill for a full month, it was happening. “Yes. Condom now.” The words came out as a pleading moan.

Instead of looking smug at her begging, his jaw tightened as if he didn’t want to grab one or move away from her, but he reached inside the nightstand drawer and ripped open the new box with shaking hands. Everything about him was always rock steady, so it amazed her that he shook now.

She tried to grab the packet he’d pulled out from his hands, but he refused to let her, tearing it open and sheathing himself in seconds. She watched with a building hunger as he stroked a big hand down his length, then back up again.

Reaching up, she grabbed his shoulders and pulled him down to her. “No more teasing.”

That damn grin, the slow, wicked one that should be illegal, spread across his face as he positioned himself at her entrance. One of his hands cupped her breast, his thumb strumming her nipple as he pushed inside her.

The moment he filled her, that grin fled as the sweetest groan tore from him. The sensation of him stretching and filling her pushed her to the edge. She’d been building up to this from the moment he’d told her that he believed her. Because the chemistry between them was a foregone conclusion. The fact that he was going above and beyond to help her made her want him even more.

She arched her back and grabbed onto the back of his neck, pulling his head to hers, meeting his mouth in a frenzied need as he began thrusting. Meeting him stroke for stroke, her tongue danced with his in the same frantic rhythm as their bodies.

He pulled his mouth from hers, his thrusts growing more ragged as he buried his face against her neck. He rubbed against her clit, tweaking the nerves with a pressure that had her arching off the bed. “Every fucking time. Every time I feel like I’ll die if I don’t get inside you,” he growled against her neck, the words almost an accusation. “God, Hannah.”

His words made her lose it, her orgasm suddenly surging through her. Her toes curled as she tightened her legs around him. She never wanted to let him go.

His thrusts and groans of pleasure increased as he let go of his restraint, the growl that vibrated against her neck an erotic sensation.

He continued thrusting into her as her orgasm surged higher and higher. When it finally faded, she fell boneless against the sheets. He stilled inside her, his forearms propped up on either side of her head as he looked down at her, his expression intense.

Leaning down, he gently brushed his lips over hers before he slowly pulled out of her on a groan. She didn’t want to let him go, but she did so he could dispose of the condom.

As she watched him slide off the bed and head for the bathroom door, another rush of heat slid through her at the sight of his tight backside. She really hoped they were just getting started tonight.

Even with everything going on, she felt incredibly safe with Dax, especially now that she knew what he did for a living. There was no place else she’d rather be than in his bed and in his arms.

Hannah breathed in the delicious scent of coffee as she carried two mugs upstairs to Dax’s room. She’d actually slept in this morning, and even though she was still stressed about everything, she felt safe in his home.

When she entered his bedroom, the bathroom door was still closed but she couldn’t hear the shower running anymore. It sounded like he was talking to someone, so maybe he had his phone in there. She hoped it was someone from his job with news about her would-be attacker. She couldn’t imagine how they’d be able to track the man, but Dax seemed more than just hopeful; he seemed almost certain they could. Which gave her hope.

Setting the mugs down on the nightstand next to her phone and purse, she grabbed the remote control and turned on the television. Another flat-screen. Keeping the volume low, she turned it to a local news channel and stretched out on his bed. She’d put on one of his T-shirts to go make coffee and loved that it smelled so much like him. Masculine and sexy. A second later the bathroom door opened and Dax walked out carrying his phone.

And wearing just a towel.

But one look at his expression made her tense. She sat up, letting her legs hang off the edge of the bed. “What is it?”

“Maybe good news. Karen ran scans of vehicles around your neighborhood before and after we saw the man at your house. She used traffic cameras to pull owners’ information and came up with a pretty comprehensive list. From there she cross-referenced it with anyone who worked at the hospital. That narrowed it down to six people. There’s only one man who fits the information.” He held out his phone to her.

She looked at the contents of an e-mail Karen had sent Dax with names and addresses. She recognized two of the women but not the other three. The only man on the list was Joseph Sandor. A slight thread of shock slid through her that anyone she knew could want to hurt her, but she couldn’t dismiss his name. She’d gotten a weird vibe from him before. “Sandor is the head of surgery. He’s gone up against a couple sexual harassment suits but nothing’s stuck. He doesn’t have a beef with me, though. Not that I know of.” She frowned, a shiver rolling down her spine as she handed the phone back to Dax. “The party was at his house.”

He sat on the edge of the bed. “I know. Karen’s already pulled his info. It bothered me last night that the guy in the hallway knew about the other door. It could mean he was familiar with the layout of the house.”

An icy fist clenched around her heart. That would make sense. Still . . . “Oh my God,” she murmured, her gaze landing on the quiet television behind Dax. “Hold on.” She nodded at the screen as she grabbed the remote from the bed. Turning up the volume, she said, “That’s Corrine Frye.”

Dax had already turned and was watching as a woman in a black-and-white skirt suit talked on-screen about the murder of a local nurse. No details were being given, but someone at the condo complex where she lived had given her name. “You know her?”

“Yeah, she’s a nurse at the hospital. Good at her job, bad at relationships . . . Sweet Lord.” She covered her mouth. “She was having an affair with Sandor. I caught them in an empty room not too long ago. He was raging pissed that I’d stumbled on them but never brought it up again. She did, though. She came to see me personally and was really apologetic. I let it slide, mainly because they were both on break and they’re both adults. Even if he is married. It just wasn’t my business.”

“Does anyone else know about the affair?”

She shrugged, frustrated when the screen went to commercial. She pressed
MUTE
and looked at Dax. “I don’t know. Shaun never mentioned it and he’s usually up on hospital gossip. A year ago I would have probably told him, but now that I’m the CNO, things are different. We’re still friends but I have to keep a certain distance with everyone I work with, especially my staff, so I didn’t tell anyone. I have no idea if any other staff knew.”

Before Dax could respond, her phone buzzed across the nightstand. She typed in her security code and looked at the screen. An unknown number. Her stomach dropped as she opened the message. “Dax,” she whispered, unable to squeeze any more words out as she gave him her phone.

It was Shaun with a gag over his mouth and his hands bound behind his back, stretched out on a couch. The message underneath gave an address with the message to come alone in twenty minutes with her phone. If she didn’t, Shaun was dead.

“Fuck.” Dax’s jaw tightened.

“What—”

Dax picked his phone up from the bed and speed-dialed Burkhart. He didn’t have time to waste answering questions. He shoved up from the bed, heading for his closet as the phone rang.

His boss picked up on the second ring. “Yeah.”

Dax started pulling on clothes as he talked. “Hannah just received a text with a picture of her friend Shaun Holland. Bound and gagged. No identifiable landmarks or other features in the picture to determine location but I’m forwarding to Karen anyway. Guy gave an address to meet him in twenty minutes or Shaun is dead.” Dax quickly relayed the phone number the text was sent from and the address.

“Hold on.” Burkhart’s voice was all business as he passed on the information to Karen.

Dax could hear the sound of the keyboard clacking in the background as Burkhart said, “We need to involve the locals.”

Dax shot a glance at Hannah still sitting on the bed as he slid his shoulder holster on. “There’s not enough time.” And he could take down one guy easy. He sure as hell didn’t need backup.

Burkhart paused for a few seconds. “Hold on . . . The address is a condo owned by Joseph Sandor. It’s through a corporation but he’s the owner. This isn’t our jurisdiction.”

Yeah, Dax knew that. He also knew that he could end this situation in seconds once he breached the condo. “Can Karen get the schematics for me?”

Burkhart cursed. “Yeah. She’s sending them to your phone now. Leave now, but I’m calling Captain Nieto. He’ll work it out with his team, and they’re getting credit for this takedown. I’ll make sure that officially you were working in tandem with the Miami PD. The official story will be that we lent you to them for training.”

Dax snorted, not caring about any of the bureaucratic bullshit. He knew that Nieto and Burkhart had worked together on the Westwood bombing and all the events after and had a good working relationship, and that Burkhart would cover his ass. “Fine with me. I’ll contact you when I’m there.” He just cared about saving Hannah’s friend and getting this guy Sandor behind bars, where he belonged.

As soon as they disconnected, Dax stepped out of his walk-in closet, fully dressed and armed. Hannah hadn’t moved from her spot on the bed. “What is it?”

“I’m going to save your friend. Stay here. Set the alarm and don’t leave the house for anything. I don’t have time to answer questions.”

She nodded, her eyes wide as she crossed the distance between them. She pulled him into a tight grip, her voice thick with tears as she said, “Thank you, Dax. Please be safe. And . . . you better not do anything that’ll get you hurt.”

He dropped a quick kiss on her head before hurrying out of the room. It stunned him that she wasn’t barraging him with questions and that she had such trust in him to bring her friend back, but it probably shouldn’t. Hannah might look fragile, but she had a steel spine. It was one of the things that had first attracted him to her. Back in Delta the marriages he’d seen fall apart were the ones where the wives couldn’t handle the separations, the radio silences, and the simple not knowing. That kind of life was tough. The way Hannah had just let him go with those simple words told him a hell of a lot about her. And made him love her even more.

Love.

Fuck. Yeah, he did. Now it was time to take care of this situation for her and start their lives together.

* * *

Dax eyed the five balconies of the exclusive condo building above him. Three stories up was where Sandor had wanted Hannah to meet him. There was only one way in and out of the address he’d given her. An elevator that opened right into the foyer. It was likely why he’d wanted her to come here. He’d see her coming, given the security cameras in the lobby. He’d know if she wasn’t alone.

Unlucky for Sandor, Dax wasn’t coming in the front door. He was taking a risk being seen scaling the balconies, but it was the only other way in while remaining undetected. And according to Karen most of these condos were rented out during the summer. As of now, there were no barriers to his entry.

“Everything’s clear,” Dax murmured into his comm. Even though this wasn’t a typical mission, he was staying patched into a feed with Karen and Burkhart so they were kept apprised of the situation. And so Burkhart could relay everything to Nieto’s team, who would be here soon enough.

“Judge has already given Nieto a warrant to bring in Sandor. With the information from Hannah about his affair with Corrine Frye and the woman’s recent murder, they want him brought in quietly and in one piece.” A soft warning edged Burkhart’s voice.

“He’ll be alive.” Dax wasn’t going to kill anyone unless he had to, and something told him bringing down a middle-aged surgeon wouldn’t be too hard. Still, he wasn’t going to get cocky. He treated every mission with respect, especially since innocent lives were at stake. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw the beach beyond the grassy area empty. “I’m going in.”

Stepping onto the metal railing in front of the bottom-floor condo, he balanced himself for a moment before jumping up and grabbing onto the bottom floor of the next balcony. The drapes were pulled shut on the first floor and he hoped it was the same on the next one. He didn’t feel like dealing with a freaked-out civilian.

His arm muscles tightened, his body straining as he pulled himself up inch by inch. Once he had enough traction, he grabbed the bottom part of the rail with one hand.

Using all the strength in his upper body, he continued pulling himself up using the rail until he could swing his legs up to get his footing. He swung himself over onto the balcony. The curtains were pulled shut.

One more floor to go. He repeated the process, not looking down as he worked. In any operation he broke everything down into small tasks.

His heart rate kicked up a notch as he pulled himself up onto the third floor. There would be a small window of time before he got onto the balcony, where he’d be vulnerable to an attack.

As he silently maneuvered himself over the last balcony, he moved across the patio area, flattening himself against one of the walls. There was a large round mosaic table with a small centerpiece and two chairs on the far side of the patio opposite him. The drapes were pulled closed on both big sliding doors. According to the plans Karen had accessed on the building, the one on the left led to a bedroom and the one on the right to a living room area.

Since the picture of Shaun showed him on a couch, Dax guessed he was in a living room or another sitting-type room. He hated guessing.

He drew his pistol, his boots silent on the concrete as he moved down to the middle of the first set of glass doors. He leaned close, listening for any voices.

Nothing.

Testing the door, he was surprised when it gave way, sliding to the side. He’d brought his lock-pick kit with him but was glad he didn’t have to waste time with the lock. The soft snicking sound of the door sliding to the side ratcheted up his tension. A rush of cool air rolled over him before he stepped inside, behind the thick curtain.

He was vulnerable here too, unable to see an attack coming. As quietly as possible, he slid the door back into place, wanting to mute the ocean waves in the distance. Moving along the interior of the curtain, he listened for any giveaway sounds that someone was in the room.

“Damn it, damn it,” a man cursed, at least a room away, given the muffled quality.

As he reached the end of the curtain, Dax let out a quiet, steady breath before pulling it slightly back.

Bedroom. Empty except for furniture.

“You weren’t supposed to wake up,” the same man snarled. Had to be Sandor.

Dax stepped out fully from the curtain, moving across the carpeted room to the half-open door. The bed was rumpled and the scent of alcohol lingered in the air.

At a muffled sound, like someone trying to talk, he moved quickly across the floor to the open door.

“I didn’t want to kill you. You weren’t supposed to die, and I’m sorry, but . . . Damn it,” the man snarled again in that same rage-filled tone.

The muffled sound came again. Must be Shaun.

Dax couldn’t wait any longer and let the guy kill Shaun. He moved to the edge of the doorframe and peered around the corner.

Sandor stood with his back to Dax, his hands on his hips and a big blade in one of them. Shaun Holland was trussed up on the couch, just like in the text picture. He was bound and gagged, his eyes bleary and red rimmed. He’d either drunk too much or had been drugged. Maybe both, given that Sandor didn’t seem like he’d wanted to kill him. Maybe he’d drugged him and brought him here.

Whatever, didn’t matter now.

Dax stepped out from the bedroom into the living room, weapon aimed at Sandor. Before he could tell the surgeon to freeze, Shaun’s eyes widened as he saw him. Sandor immediately pivoted.

He let out a gasp of surprise and lifted his blade higher.

“Drop the weapon, hands in the air. Now!” Dax ordered. “Miami PD’s on the way and you’re under arrest.”

The surgeon stared at him in shock, as if he couldn’t believe what he was looking at. Dax knew this could go badly quickly, so he took a step forward, closing the distance between them. “They know about Corrine Frye.” Sort of a lie, but he wanted to see the man’s reaction. “And they know you’re the one who tried to attack Hannah Young. It’s over. Just put the knife down and surrender peacefully.”

Sandor glanced at Shaun, his eyes wide and terrified now, before he looked back at Dax. His expression was utterly defeated. When he raised the knife before him, pointed at his own chest, Dax knew exactly what he planned.

Hell no.

This guy wasn’t getting off that easily. Dax fired, striking Sandor’s wrist as he arced downward, ready to stab himself.