Heroes In Uniform (176 page)

Again, they kept to the shadows, though there was no one else on this street. They reached the motel illuminated by a flashing neon sign.

Gage released her hand. “Wait here while I check us in. No reason the clerk has to see you.”

He opened the door to the registration office and before he closed it behind himself, Mallory glimpsed a man on a ladder back chair, his chin on his chest, dozing. A television sat on a shelf behind the man, tuned to a black and white movie.

Gage registered quickly and joined her outside. He was holding a paper bag.

Mallory pointed to it. “What’s that?”

“The clerk told me that the motel doesn’t provide any toiletries. I figured we’re going to need some.”

Mallory glanced at her sooty hands. “Good call.”

Gage stopped on a cracked asphalt path. “We’re in room thirty one.” He looked around. “That way.”

The old motel wasn’t equipped with key cards. Gage let them into their room with an old bronze key. Intermittent light from a flashing neon sign in front of the motel provided glimpses of the interior. Mallory made out a double bed in the center of the room with a nightstand on each side. A television sat on an old metal stand at the foot of the bed.

Gage went to the window, pulled the curtains closed then thumbed the light switch. The bulb in the ceiling, in a plain white shade, flickered then lit.

The decor left much to be desired with the color scheme predominantly bright oranges and lime greens. On closer inspection, the furniture looked like it had been purchased during the nineteen seventies.

Much to Mallory’s surprise, the place was clean and she detected a faint trace of some bleach-based cleaning product.

Gage picked up the TV remote. “Go ahead and shower first. I want to see if the fire has made the local news yet.”

Mallory wanted to know that herself and went to stand beside him. He channel surfed for a couple of minutes, then stopped at a scene of a female reporter backlit by a burning building.

Mallory leaned a little closer to the television. “There it is.”

“Fire fighters are battling this blaze which broke out at Twenty-Four Stowe Street, a popular bar that features exotic dancing,” the reporter said. “The club is closed for the night and it’s believed the building is unoccupied. At this time, it is not known what started the fire. A full investigation is expected. Now, back to you Nancy at the news desk.”

Gage flicked to another news station. The same footage was repeated.

Mallory picked up the phone on the nightstand and called York to let him know she’d made it out of the fire and to find out if he’d had any word about Billy. Gage turned away from the television and focused on her. At York’s “no’, Mallory shook her head at Gage. The conversation with York ended after that.

She replaced the phone in the cradle. “I’m off to take that shower.”

Twenty minutes later, she’d made liberal use of the products Gage had purchased. The motel didn’t supply a bathrobe and putting on her filthy clothing that reeked of smoke again was unthinkable. Mallory took one of the white towels and wrapped it around herself, knotting it at her breasts. The towel fell only to mid-thigh. As far as modesty went, it left much to be desired.

When she joined Gage in the bedroom, she saw just how immodest reflected in his eyes. His deep blues fixed on her and went darker, before he caught himself and looked away.

In that instant, before he’d banked it, a flame lit in his eyes. Desire, pure and simple. Seeing it sparked a heat inside her as well.

Her breath caught and it took her an instant to regain control over it so she could speak. “Shower’s yours. You might want to wait a few minutes for more hot water.”

“Not a problem.”

He breezed by her and into the bathroom.

* * *

In the privacy of the small washroom, Gage rubbed a hand down his face that was not steady. Hot water? Hell, no. The last thing he needed was to get any hotter.

When Mallory had joined him in the bedroom wearing nothing but that towel he’d all but swallowed his tongue.

She’d washed her clothes and hung them on the towel bar. Among her jeans and blouse were her bra and panties. Saliva pooled in his mouth. He recalled all too vividly the sexy body that wore those items.

He turned away from her underthings and to the shower. He twisted the taps then stepped beneath the pulsing water. An image of Mallory in here with him, water sluicing down her naked body came to him, and then him following the path of the flowing water with his mouth. He reached out and gave the tap for the cold water another hard twist.

He finished showering. He pushed his wet hair back from his face then reached for a towel to wrap around his hips. Among his purchases from the clerk, was a razor. Gage rubbed the stubble on his jaw. To hell with it.

Back in the bedroom, Mallory was seated on the bed, against the head board. Her hair had dried some and now tendrils of the thick brown strands framed her face softly and curled around her bare shoulders. Seated as she was, her breasts strained against the towel and Gage got rock hard again.

He looked away from her and to the television in an effort to distract himself. But the dresser was against the wall behind the TV, with its large mirror, and Mallory was reflected in all her splendor in the looking glass.

“Are you going to stand there all night?”

Gage turned to her. “What?”

“Guess we should have asked for a cot, though I’d be surprised if this place had them.”

“No problem.” Gage cleared his throat. “I’ll sleep on the floor.”

“The floor is hard and cold. This bed is large enough. No reason we shouldn’t both get a good night’s sleep.”

Sleep? With her in bed with him? Good luck. He’d already tried that and failed and now that he knew what it was like to have her in his bed, his mind went to work supplying him with memories of her pressed tight to him. He blew out a breath. Oh, yeah, no sleep for him tonight.

* * *

The mattress dipped as Gage got into the bed with her. Mallory recalled what that solid body had felt like against her own when they’d shared the mattress at the cabin. A slow burn began in her lower belly and was spreading. Maybe sharing a bed hadn’t been her best idea. But she certainly didn’t want him to have to spend the night on the floor because she couldn’t reign in her hormones. She was just going to have to make the best of it.

He placed the gun on the nightstand then stretched out on his back giving her a view of his chest and abs. The muscles there were well defined and her gaze lingered. He hadn’t shaved and the stubble on his cheeks and jaw only made him look sexier.

“Do you mind if I turn out the light?” If she couldn’t see him, she’d be able to put him out of her mind. She hoped.

“Go ahead.”

She left the bed and turned off the ceiling light but left the bathroom light on with the door slightly ajar so they could find their way around the unfamiliar surroundings.

In that couple of minutes out of the bed, she got cold. She shivered and burrowed beneath the blanket. “Good night.”

“Night.”

His voice sounded strained. “Are you getting a cold?”

“No. Good night.”

She turned on her side and pulled the blanket up to her nose.

* * *

The temperature in the room dropped as the night got colder. In her sleep, Mallory had been inching across the bed. When her body touched Gage’s, he broke into a sweat.

He wanted to shift away from her. The feel of her against him was driving him out of his mind, but she was shivering from the cold. He put his arms around her. As his body heat penetrated she relaxed, grew warm and soft against him.

Her scent had been teasing him all night. She’d washed with the same soap and shampoo he’d used, but on her the fragrance had become something else altogether. Something that could not be found in a cosmetics bottle. It was her. All her.

She shifted slightly and her hand slid across his abdomen. He groaned.

* * *

Mallory felt deliciously warm. Slowly she became aware that she was pressed tight to a hard, male body. Gage. Her head was on his chest. One of her legs was atop one of his and his arms were banded around her. He was still on his side of the bed. It was she who’d moved.

She looked up. In the light streaming in from the bathroom, she could see that his gaze was on her. Desire sparked in his eyes. Her heart pounded. With his gaze locked on her, he ran his thumb tenderly across her cheek. A thrill of anticipation surged through her. When he bent his head to hers, she was already moving to him.

A breath from her lips, he went still. His muscles tensed. He vaulted from the bed, taking her with him. She was about to ask him what had possibly distracted him when she heard it. A scrape in the door lock.

Gage grabbed her hand and the gun from the nightstand. He led her to the wall behind the door, and took up a position in front of her. He chambered a round in the gun then pulled the door open.

Early morning light filled the room and a man fell forward. Tall. Broad in the shoulders but sagging around the middle. He looked like an ex-jock going to fat. Gage hooked him around the neck and jammed the barrel of the gun into his temple.

The man uttered a small cry. Something dropped out of his hands and fell to the floor. It was a key. The guy lifted his arms, clawing at Gage in an attempt to break Gage’s hold. It was a useless endeavor. Gage tightened his grip and put an end to the useless struggle.

Mallory stepped out from behind Gage. Her eyes lowered to the key. Gage was also looking at it. He hadn’t missed the fact that it was a key rather than some crude instrument that was being used to get into their room, either. Was the man Gage had subdued one of Considine’s men? Had Considine tracked them to this motel room and bribed or killed the clerk for the key?

Gage gave the man a shake that knocked his teeth together. “Who are you?”

“Oliver.” The man cried out. “Joseph Oliver.”

“Why were you breaking into this room?”

Oliver squealed. “Not breaking in.”

Gage’s muscles bunched as he increased his grip on the man’s throat. His voice dropped to a lethal whisper. “If you want to walk out of here, start talking.”

“It’s the—the truth. I swear it. I mean no harm to you and to your—your lady.” The man was stuttering and tears filled his eyes. “I made a mistake, that’s all. Don’t have my glasses. Wrong ro-om. I swear it!”

The man was now trembling in Gage’s hold. As far as assassin’s went, this one lacked the constitution for the job, Mallory thought. Was it possible he was telling the truth? Gage’s eyes narrowed and Mallory believed he was wondering the same thing.

Gage gave the man another shake. “What’s your room number?”

“Thirty seven. I forgot my glasses when I left my room. I thought this was my room. I’m sorry. I’m sorry.”

Gage met Mallory’s gaze. “Mind getting the key?”

She picked it up. “Thirty seven.” Their room was thirty one. It was possible he’d mistaken the number.

“Where’s your ID?” Gage said.

“My co- coat pocket.”

Gage nodded to Mallory. She took out the man’s wallet and found a driver’s license. “Joseph Oliver.” She recited an address in Oregon. “What are you doing here, Joseph?”

“I’m attending a conference. I sell insurance.”

She found a business card that confirmed his occupation.

Gage raised a brow. “Your company didn’t spring for much in the way of accommodation.”

The man licked his lips. “This isn’t where I’m staying. I—ah—met a girl.”

A white line showed on his ring finger where he’d worn a wedding band until recently. The man was an adulterer, Mallory thought with disgust, but not an assassin. After this experience, she’d be surprised if he stepped out on his wife again.

Gage released Oliver. The man’s hands went to his throat, rubbing where Gage had no doubt hurt him. Mallory returned his key.

“Thank you. Thank you.”

Gage eyed Oliver. “Get out.”

Joseph Oliver ran.

The room was now as cold inside as out. Mallory hugged herself against the chill.

Gage closed the door. “I think we can leave here now.”

“Think so.”

Gage nodded. “We’d better get dressed then.”

But she noticed his gaze went to the rumpled bed where they’d been about to make love and held. He passed a hand back through his hair and blew out a long breath before turning away.

She knew how he felt. She was all too aware of being in that bed with him as well.

Snowbound: Chapter Seven

Gage hadn’t raised the subject of how close they came to making love in the motel room and Mallory hadn’t either. Might have been better if they had. Might have cleared the air. Or, maybe they would have picked up where they’d left off. She wasn’t sure how she felt about that. She was attracted to him. Her insides tightened now reminding her just how much.

She’d never been swept away by attraction as she was with him. Her cooler head had always prevailed. Maybe it had been for the best that this one time when her cool head had failed her, fate had intervened in the form of Joseph Oliver. She shifted position and cut off the thought that it didn’t feel like the best.

When they’d left the motel, they didn’t go back to the club for the truck, but left it to be towed and stored in impound. They took a cab to a car rental agency and picked out an inconspicuous compact, then when they’d arrived at Mallory’s apartment, they’d searched to make sure the place was unoccupied by anyone other than themselves.

Now they were eating scrambled eggs in Mallory’s living room with the key they’d obtained from Billy’s office on the coffee table in front of them.

They’d both taken showers and changed clothing. The clothes Gage had worn during the fire were spinning in her dryer and he’d changed into fresh clothes that her brother had left here on his last visit. Mallory’s brother John and Gage were the same size and the clothes fit well, but Mallory had never noticed that John was as broad in the shoulders or as solid in the chest as Gage. She recalled what those shoulders and chest had felt like when Gage had held her in his arms. She reached for the cold glass of orange juice on the table and drank deeply to cool the fire that ignited within her.