“Your skin is soft,” he said without any sign of the urgency she felt. “You smell good, too.”
Finally, she freed her hands from his grasp and used them to touch and explore the hard smooth muscles of his back. She traced her fingers down his sides, his muscles responding as she continued on. Her fingers brushed over well-muscled abs. A feathering of hair beneath his navel led her to hidden treasures. She stroked the length of him, thick and throbbing beneath her fingers.
When she looked into his eyes, he smiled at her, a devilish smile that made her insides flutter. She lifted her lips to his chin and jaw, kissing and nibbling before working her way down his neck and collarbone. He was all long and lean, lithe and hard, all sinewy muscle and tendons. He smelled like soap and sandalwood. His neck was corded and bronzed, his face and jaw a maze of hard angles and masculinity. Sexy as hell.
Jack didn’t know how to fuck, she decided. If he did, it would be over already. He was making love to her instead, making every part of her come alive. His splayed fingers moved slowly over her hips, kneading, exploring. His mouth followed, hot against her skin until her entire being hummed with anticipation. She came at once...hardly able to breathe as intense waves of pleasure and release swept over her. He lifted his head and looked into her eyes as he hovered over her, his erection thick and hard as he moved inside of her, gently at first before diving deeper. A moan of pleasure escaped as every thrust built in intensity. And then she exploded again with climatic pleasure, shuddering beneath him as they came together. A low, vibrating growl came from his lips when she pressed her hips against him as he climaxed. Her fingertips made a path across his shoulders as his full weight relaxed against her.
After a moment, he rolled to his back and pulled her close to his side. His eyes were closed as she leaned into him and trailed her fingers over the steely hardness of his stomach and chest. Satisfied, she rested her head in the crook of his arm and sighed.
Chapter 20
Later that day, Kate watched Jack as he worked on the computer again. He looked tense, his jaw muscles tightening as he read whatever was on the monitor.
Ever since they’d made love, she felt something she hadn’t felt in a very long time...satisfied and happy. She knew the feeling wouldn’t last forever, but she didn’t care because she would never forget her time spent with Jack. Nothing could ever change that. She would find the person or persons responsible for her father’s death, and she would make them pay, even if it meant spending the rest of her life in prison. She had one purpose in life and anything less would be cheating herself of ever feeling whole again.
Jack must have sensed her standing there because he turned to her and motioned for her to come closer. “Look at this.”
She moved to his side and rested her hand on his shoulder, hovering over him as he read.
“While the need to raise money for AIDS is undisputable,” he read aloud, “the systems to use these funds appropriately are poorly developed. The ‘performance’ of a grant is often assessed by how fast it is disbursed, which inspires recipient(s) to allocate the money carelessly. For corrupt officials, rapidly expanding budgets make it easier to siphon off significant volumes of funds without anyone noticing. For instance,” Jack said, his tone disturbed by his findings, “it says here that a 300-page EMU report revealed that Kenya could not account for forty-eight million dollars donated by the UK since 2001. Employees of fundraising groups were caught paying themselves inflated salaries and fraudulent allowances. Many people have been charged with embezzlement but later acquitted due to ‘lack of evidence.’”
“Are you saying what I think you’re saying?”
He nodded. “Nothing else makes sense. All these deaths: your father’s, Dr. Forstin’s, possibly Michael Lang and the other scientist working on AidVac...their deaths could very well be the result of simple greed.”
Kate sucked in a breath.
“Unimaginable amounts of money are donated yearly to find a cure for AIDS,” he went on. “It could be possible that someone is paying big bucks to keep the cure from ever being discovered so they can keep siphoning money for themselves.”
“I never imagined my father was killed because of money. How could anyone let millions of people die every year due to greed?”
“We both know evil comes in many forms. But from everything I’ve read so far, siphoning money from large funds reserved for AIDS is happening all over the world. Everywhere I look when it comes to raising money for good causes, I see scandal,” Jack told her. “Look at this.” He clicked another button and pulled up another page. “Investigators probed three of eight NGOs funded by NACC. They found wanton theft of the NACC money granted to noble-sounding projects that all turned out to be a sham.” He raked a hand through his hair.
She gave his shoulder a squeeze.
“I was finally able to hack into Harrison’s account. It seems that a large sum of money was deposited before he sent me to see Dr. Forstin and then rushed me off to Haiti.”
“Oh, Jack. What are we going to do?”
“I sent A.J. another message this morning, but he hasn’t responded. I’m worried about him.”
“I’m sure he can take care of himself.”
“Patrick Monahan, one of the men at the lab, befriended A.J. a few months back. I’m afraid A.J. might have his guard down around those he considers to be friends.”
Barney circled at Kate’s feet letting her know he needed to go outside.
“I’d like to leave in the next hour and stop by A.J.’s place in Burbank. Maybe I’ll be able to read Dr. Forstin’s video disc there.”
“Okay,” she said. “I’ll let Barney take care of business and then I’ll pack a few things.”
He nodded and for a few seconds they held each other’s gaze, knowing things were going to get a whole lot worse before their situation improved.
Kate stepped outside; she watched Barney disappear within the copse of pines. The number of boats on the lake had tripled since this morning. There were shouts and a loud crash coming from the Matthews’ rental. She stepped closer to the path leading to their house. Through the trees she saw a barrel-chested man slap the back of his palm against Barbara Matthews’ face. Brooklynn shouted at her father from within the house.
Kate ran back to the house to get Jack. He had shut down the computer and was sliding it into a backpack. “Jack,” she said. “Mr. Matthews is on a rampage. I just saw him hit Barbara across the face.”
Jack marched past her before she could say another word. She followed him through the family room and outside. Barney still hadn’t returned.
Jack took the same path Barbara Matthews had taken when they first met her. The crying and shouting grew louder as they approached the house. The Matthews were all inside now. Kate followed Jack across a brown lawn and up a set of stairs to a wide deck leading into the house. The sliding glass door was open. Inside, Barbara Matthews was huddled in the corner between the kitchen and the dining area, her lip bleeding, her body trembling.
Brooklynn stood in the middle of the kitchen and held a broken bottle in front of her, aiming it at the hulk of a man who was holding Adam in a chokehold.
“Who the hell are you?” the man growled at Jack.
Jack flipped open his wallet. “FBI. Let the boy go.”
Mr. Matthews squeezed his son tighter. Adam’s face turned a deep shade of red. “You two are wanted for murder.” He looked at his wife. “Are these the people you’ve been lettin’ my kids hang with? Answer me!”
Barbara remained silent, her arms covering her head as her husband moved toward her, dragging Adam along with him.
Jack didn’t want to hurt the man, but Adam was turning purple. Jack picked up one of the knotty-pine chairs circling the kitchen table and bashed it across the man’s back, careful not to hit Adam.
Adam broke loose as his father crumpled to the ground. The boy coughed and held his neck as he caught his breath.
Kate rushed to Barbara’s aid and helped the woman to her feet. Jack took the bottle from Brooklynn and tossed it in the garbage. “Is everyone okay?” Jack asked.
Adam nodded.
Jack checked on Adam’s father. The man was out cold, but he was breathing. He reeked of booze.
A knock at the door prompted everyone to stop what they were doing. Adam peeked through the curtain. “It’s the cops.” He pointed to the door where Jack and Kate had entered. “You better hurry and get out of here.”
“We won’t tell them you were here,” Brooklynn said. “Right, Mom?”
Barbara nodded and Kate and Jack quickly slipped outside and ran back the way they had come. As they reached the bottom of the path, Jack noticed a speedboat weaving a path around the other boats. Horns sounded as a warning, but the speedboat didn’t slow or pay the other boats any mind.
“Get in the house, Kate!”
Barney appeared out of the edge of the woods. Kate scooped up the dog right before Jack took hold of her arm and pulled her toward the house.
“The keys to the truck are on the counter,” he shouted as he ran down the hall. “I’ll get the computer.”
“What about the police?” she asked from the hallway.
“I have a feeling they’re the least of our worries.”
In the guest bedroom, Jack shoved everything he needed into the backpack he’d found earlier. A high-pitched scream coming from the master bedroom sent chills shooting up his spine. It was Kate. He ran that way. Kate held her hand over her heart while A.J. tried to comfort her.
Jack’s adrenaline soared. “Thank God, it’s you,” Jack said to A.J. “Where have you been? I’ve been sending you messages all day.”
His friend looked as if he hadn’t slept in a week. Gray shadows made half circles under his eyes.
“Becky’s dead.”
“How?”
“A bomb. The assholes planted a bomb with a trip wire at my place. It was connected to the gas stove. I had taken a picture of a license plate. Turns out the plates belonged to Monahan. I’ve been going through stacks of records, Jack. I came here to tell you that the whole fucking agency has gone bad.”
Jack didn’t know what to say about Becky. What could he say? It was obvious A.J. was in shock.
Jack heard a noise. He glanced out the bedroom door toward the family room. Nothing.
“I know who Ben Sheldon is,” A.J. said. “Sheldon’s real name is Benjamin Greene. He’s a sailing enthusiast.”
That got Jack’s attention. Harrison was also big on sailing.
“Makes you wonder where Sheldon got the badge, doesn’t it? And get this,” A.J. said. “He’s an HIV/AIDS specialist. Ten years ago he worked in Indonesia on a health policy project based in the Ministry of Health. He’s a civil servant and yet he owns a couple of houses in the Mediterranean. He’s also an elite member of the Blue Water Yacht Club in Miami.”
Jack thought of Harrison and the large deposit. “Somebody is paying Sheldon and his friends a lot of money to keep us quiet.”
“It all keeps coming back to AIDS research,” Kate said.
Jack looked back toward the family room again. He thought he saw a shadow move outside the door. “I think we have company. There was a speedboat making its way across the lake. If we don’t scram, they’re going to be on top of us before we can get out of here.”
Kate hitched her bag over her shoulder.
A.J. led the way and Kate followed. Jack went to the guestroom to grab the backpack. As soon as Jack stepped into the hallway, he saw Kate and A.J. standing in the middle of the front room with their hands raised in the air.
Monahan stepped into view, gun pointed. “Get your hands in the air, Coffey.”
Jack glanced past Monahan to the dock outside and saw another man waiting there. “Justice and the American way, huh Monahan?”
“Yeah, that about sums it up, Coffey. I don’t have time to reminisce though, so I’m going to make this quick and painless. I don’t want to have to come back.” He waved his gun at A.J. “I thought I already took care of you yesterday. What are you, fucking bomb proof?” He lifted his arm and aimed his gun at A.J.
A.J. went for the gun tucked in his waistband, but Monahan was ready for him. A shot rang out and A.J. crumpled to the ground. Monahan raised his gun again and aimed it at Jack.
Jack pushed Kate out of the way, hit the floor, and shouted for Kate to run.
Another shot rang out, only this time it was a
BOOM
with a reverberating crackle and pop.
Monahan staggered backwards. Blood seeped through his fingers as he clutched at his shoulder and fell back against the glass door. Jack looked over his shoulder to see where the shot had come from. Barbara Matthews stood within the doorframe leading from the garage, a rifle propped at her side. Adam stood just behind her.
“I owed you one,” Barbara told Jack. “Things are going to be different from here on out.”
Jack turned back to A.J., thankful to see his friend alive. He helped prop A.J. in a sitting position against the wall.
Barbara Matthews gasped and Jack turned to see Monahan reaching for his gun. A.J. pulled out the knife he’d been carrying around since childhood, and with a quick flick of his wrist, he released the blade and snapped his fingers back.
Monahan twitched before he fell onto his back.
Jack went to Monahan’s side and checked for a pulse. “He’s dead.”
A.J. nodded while Kate checked A.J.’s wound.
Jack picked up Monahan’s gun and tucked it into his waistband.
“Those policemen are at the house with Dad,” Adam said, his voice cracking. “Dad’s car is at the bottom of the driveway ready to go,” he went on. “Mom said you could borrow it. It’ll get you wherever you need to go a lot faster than that old truck.”
“You and Kate better go,” A.J. said through gritted teeth.
Jack frowned. “I’m not leaving you.”
Kate disappeared and returned with a long-sleeved shirt. She ripped the shirt in half and wrapped strips of cloth tightly around A.J.’s left arm.
“Hate to be a party buster,” A.J. managed, his voice weak, “but I think I’ll stay here and hitch a ride to the nearest hospital.” He gestured with his chin toward the lake. “Looks like we’ve got some more fireworks coming our way.” He looked at Kate. “Hand me my gun, will you?”
Monahan’s pal must have heard shots because he was moving across the lawn, gun drawn. The police heard the shots, too, because they were scrambling down the side of the hill.
Kate handed A.J. his gun, then turned to Jack. “What about Adam and Barbara?”
“We’ll stay here with this dude,” Adam said as he helped his mom reload the rifle.
“We’ve got it covered,” A.J. said to Jack. “Somebody needs to find out who’s in charge of these thugs. Get out of here, Coffey, and get me some answers, would you?”
Jack hated leaving any of them, but A.J. had a point. Until he could read the disc, until he had proof of his innocence, until he had more answers, he needed to stay on the run and gather information. If Harrison was involved, Jack’s chances of climbing out of this hellhole were slim to none.
After instructing Adam and Barbara to stay hidden, Kate headed for the garage.
Jack turned back to A.J.
Gunshots sounded outside.
A.J. grimaced. “Get the hell out of here, Coffey!”
Jack grabbed the backpack from the floor, headed through the garage, and sprinted down the gravel driveway. He tossed the backpack through the open window to the backseat, slid behind the wheel, and shut the door.
Kate sat in the passenger seat, ready to go. Jack put his foot down hard on the accelerator.
“They’ll be fine,” Kate said, reading his mind as Jack guided the Mustang across a ribbon of Route 66 and made his way onto I-15 toward San Bernardino.
An ambulance raced by.
Sweeping views of the southern California deserts beneath rolling white clouds unfolded before them. At ninety miles per hour the ride was smooth. There were hardly any other cars on the highway. Jack glanced at Kate, saw the worry etched across her face and decided to try and get their minds on other things. “Ever think of having kids of your own someday?”
“Can’t say that I have,” she answered. “How about you?”