Homeland Security (Defenders of Love Book 2) (10 page)

"How did you get shot that night?" Katie realized she had never asked him. She assumed it had been work related since he told her he was in law enforcement but the incident occurred a long way from home.

"We were fighting off a couple of mercenaries sent after a woman who is now my cousin Logan's new bride."

"Ah… the tuxedo you interrogated me in." Katie smiled remembering how incredibly well that tux had fit his broad shoulders and trim, muscular frame.

"Yes, ma'am." They reached the door to the building and Kaiden flashed an ID card at a little machine that read it and buzzed them in. She followed him to the elevator, admiring the way his jeans also fit him well from behind. Katie imagined Kaiden would look good in anything he put on—or took off. The thought of Kaiden out of those jeans brought back images of what she knew lay under that shirt he wore. How she wouldn't mind getting her hands on that hard chest without any bandages getting in her way.

"You okay?" Katie looked up to find Kaiden staring at her with a curious look on his face, like he knew exactly what she had been thinking.

"I'm fine."

"Well, the elevator is here. Shall we go up?"

Not another elevator. She realized that he held the doors open waiting for her to enter the car. For a split second she thought about taking the stairs but then it occurred to her that getting locked in the car hadn't been so bad the last time. What the hell, it would be worth a ride if it meant she might end up on top of Kaiden again.

Damn girl. Dial it down a notch!

It had to be all the excitement of the past couple of days that had her limbic system all riled up. Right. It had absolutely nothing to do with the handsome hunk and his blue eyes that seemed to be undressing her right there at the elevator doors. She stepped into the car.

"Let's get this over with."

Following her into the elevator, Kaiden pushed the three and watched as the doors closed before turning to her again. "I promise you Hunter is a good guy. He wants to solve this case as much as I do."

"If you say so, but I am pretty sure he thinks I am some sort of floozy."

Kaiden burst into laughter as the elevator slowed to a stop. "A floozy? Who says that anymore?"

He led her into the hall and she followed him to a glass door at the end. There were no markings on the door, only another key card reader.

"I do
.
What's wrong with it?"

"Nothing." He chuckled as the door buzzed open. "You just reminded me of my mother for a moment there. She already liked you before but now…? It's a done deal. She will be sending out invitations by Christmas."

Katie shook her head in disbelief. "Invitations to what?"

He didn't hear her or he chose not to respond, either way Kaiden had moved several strides ahead of her when another man called out to him from an open door.

Invitations.
Oh my, was he talking about a wedding?

Chapter Ten

"Well, it's about damn time you turned up here!" John Hunter bellowed as Kaiden stepped through the door into his boss's office.

"You won't believe what happened at the hospital," Kaiden replied as he motioned to Katie to enter the room. She hovered in the hallway looking uncertain but slipped around the door frame and leaned against the wall when he motioned to her. John rose from his chair and covered the distance between them in three long strides, his hand outstretched to Katie.

"Hello, Ms. McCoy. We didn't have the chance to meet properly earlier this morning. The name's John Hunter. I am sure this guy over here has told you all about me." He cocked his head toward Kaiden.

"Yes, sir. He has told me a bit," she replied, accepting the handshake.

Hunter let out a laugh. "I am sure none of it is true!"

Katie glanced at Kaiden and he could see how uncomfortable she was. Steering her to a seat in front of the desk, he sat beside her. Fortunately John took the cue and returned to his seat as well. He was thankful when his boss didn't bring up the morning encounter again. Kaiden had no interest in discussing his personal life with his boss.

Personal life. Boy, that sure sounded weird. Kaiden almost couldn't remember the last time he had a personal life. The job had been his main focus since Cara had left him. Except of course for the nightly dreams he had about Katie for all those months after his injury. He still couldn't believe that she sat there next to him. Or that they might actually have a chance at something together once they nabbed Nathan Marks.

"I'm sending you to back to Staunton," Hunter announced without prelude.

"I was just there. You made me drop everything and rush back here. I missed the prime rib!"

Hunter pulled his wallet from his pocket and tossed a fifty dollar bill at Kaiden. "Here, buy one when you get there. On me."

Kaiden bit back a growl that started deep in his throat as he picked up the bill and examined it. "What the hell is going on?"

"We got a little intel that Nathan Marks is hiding out at his family's mountain retreat. I know your momma's got that compound of hers up that way. It's time for you to visit her and find out if he is really out there. Bring him back here before anything else can happen."

"If he is there then who robbed the lab at the infectious disease ward early this morning?"

"Well, I doubt that he did it himself. Maybe it was another chick he's been boffing."

Katie sucked in a breath. Hunter shot her a look of apology. "Sorry, Miss. I forgot you…"

"Don't worry about it. He can
boff
whomever he wants. We have been done for some time now."

Kaiden watched the color rise in his boss's cheeks at Katie's use of the term
boff
. He bit back a laugh and turned to his boss. "I can't go to Staunton. I have to keep an eye on Katie until this is resolved."

"We can post surveillance at her place."

"I'm not sure she even has a door on her place right now," Kaiden replied, thinking of the officer that had been assaulted there while he watched the place.

Hunter shrugged. "Take her with you. I'm sure Ms. Clara would love to meet the young woman her boy has been spending so much time with."

"We have already met," Katie interjected. "I can't go to Staunton."

Kaiden turned to her. "Why not? Ma's got plenty of room and there are places in town to pick up a few things when we get there. It might be nice for you to get away."

"And end up running into Nathan and his ridiculous family? No thanks."

"I am pretty sure you won't be seeing Mr. Marks. If he is in hiding, he won't be heading out for chicken and biscuits."

"Hunter's right. Ma's place is very secluded. You never even have to leave, she has everything you could ever need."

"That's an understatement!" Hunter exclaimed, laughing. Kaiden shot him a look that silenced him immediately. Clara James took a little getting used to. The best way to understand his mother was to meet her first and find out about all her little quirks later. It would be a totally different experience with Clara in her home than it was in the hospital.

"What he means is, Ma's place is impressive. She spent a great deal of time and resources getting it exactly the way she wanted it to be. It's like a little vacation getaway. Seriously though, Katie, I think Hunter's right. You should come with me."

"I can't."

"Then I won't go because I won't leave you here alone until things are all wrapped up."

Hunter started to speak but Kaiden shot him another
shut the hell up
look and the older man actually obeyed.

"You have to go. It's your job. I'll be fine, really."

Kaiden sat back and crossed his arms over his chest. He could feel his boss's eyes on him but he ignored the other man, only paying attention to Katie. She picked at that imaginary thread on her jeans again and avoided his stare. He reached over and took her hand in his. "We don't know who ransacked your apartment. What if they were after more than your ID? They assaulted an armed police officer—there is no telling what they would do to you if you were alone. My mom has tons of room and she loves visitors."

"I don't know—"

"You would be doing me a huge favor. Ever since Logan met Angie, the family has been on my case to get out there and meet people."

She glanced up at him. "Wouldn't you tell them we were there for a case?"

"I can't really tell them anything and I don't need to. Let them think what they want. Surely you are a little bit homesick?"

"I do miss the mountains."

"It's only for a couple of days and I would love the company on the road."

"Fine. Okay. I'll go."

"Great!" Hunter interjected as he slid a file folder across the desk to Kaiden. "Get on the road right away. Call me when you get there and I'll fill you in on any new information."

Kaiden picked up the folder and opened it. A fact sheet on the Marks family, the address where they thought Nathan was hiding, and a few other interesting tidbits were all that it contained. He only had to get Nathan Marks into custody before he could do any more damage to Katie or the general population.

"All right, Hunter. Talk to you later." Kaiden rose, taking the folder and motioning to Katie. He let her lead the way from the room and closed the door behind them. She fell quiet as they made their way back to the elevator. Neither of them spoke. In fact, nearly an hour passed before Katie said anything.

"So this place your mom has… why did your boss laugh about it?"

"It's best for you to wait and see it for yourself. There's isn't a good way to describe it."

"Does she belong to a cult or something?"

"What on Earth would make you say something like that?"

"I don't know. I mean, she lives on a mountain, out of the public eye."

"She doesn't belong to a cult although she does belong to a special kind of club." Kaiden reached for his bottle of water and took a long drink.

"She's a biker?"

Water sprayed all over the steering wheel and windshield. His mom on a motorcycle? "A
biker
?"

"Well, what other kinds of clubs are there?"

"I think you should relax and enjoy the ride. Don't worry about Ma, she's going to love you and you are going to love her."

"You're hiding something."

"You sound so sure." Kaiden kept his eyes on the road as he fought back another round of laughter.

Katie threw her hands in the air. "Why must men always be so damned infuriating?"

"My mother would blame it on genetics. She always said the y chromosome was broken since it was so small."

"Broken chromosome? Ha! I like your mother already. The lady knows what she is talking about."

"Do you remember her well from the hospital?"

"I guess. We never really talked about anything other than your injury."

"Well, I am sure you will have plenty to talk about when we get there. Ma's an interesting lady."

"Will you tell her we are coming?"

"Nope."

"It's okay for us to show up unannounced?"

"I'm her son. I can go home anytime I want."

"Shouldn't you let her know you have a house guest with you?"

"Nope. She won't mind."

"Are you going to tell me anything at all?"

"I bet you peeked at all your gifts before Christmas, didn't you?"

"What does that have to do with anything?" Katie demanded.

"Nothing," Kaiden replied, holding back another round of laughter. Whenever Katie was near he felt downright giddy. Everything she did endeared her to him even more. "How about some music? What do you like?"

"Eighties rock, country. That's about it."

"I can do with a little country. Why don't you see what's on the radio?"

Katie fell silent while she flipped through the stations. Kaiden concentrated on the road. The further they got from Virginia Beach the more he relaxed. Catching up with Nathan Marks would be a piece of cake. He just had to drop into the Marks family retreat and let him know the gig was up. Once he got Nathan into custody, Katie would be off the hook and he would be free to convince her she couldn't live without him.

A commitment?

He had sworn off women after Cara left but was more than willing to break that promise for Katie. The two women were nothing alike. At least he thought they weren't.

What do you actually know about Katie, except for her poor choice in potential marriage partners?

Forcing the voice—and the doubt—out of his mind, he thought instead about the way Katie made him laugh and how she felt pressed up against him in the elevator and the bathroom that morning. His body hummed remembering the kiss they shared in the bathroom. There was no way she wasn't interested. She had told him as much. The timing was simply off. But not for long. They had this lead on Nathan Marks. Once he was scooped up and sent off to federal prison, Kaiden would be free to explore whatever it was that was happening with Katie.

He glanced over to see her leaned against the passenger door with her eyes closed. The past twenty four hours had been beyond exhausting. An old Garth Brooks tune played over the speakers and Kaiden found himself humming along. This was exactly how life should be. A good pickup truck, classic tunes, and the woman he loved by his side.

Whoa there, James! Who said anything about love?

There went that voice again. He tried once more to ignore it, but seriously, how could he be in love with a woman he hardly knew? Lust and love were a long way apart.

Kaiden didn't believe in love at first sight.

Of course, first sight would have been last year when they met in the hospital. That's a lot of time for fantasy to weave itself around his heart. Maybe it was the idea of Katie he was in love with and not the actual woman?

Not the way her presence assaulted his senses. He couldn't be near her without wanting to touch her, smell her, and—his personal favorite—taste her. Katie's kisses stoked long cold ashes into burning flames inside him. He felt euphoric when she looked at him, as though she saw straight into his soul. That had to be a hell of a lot more than fantasy and lust. But could it be love so soon?

As she slept, her hand fell off her lap and dangled beside the seat. He reached over and took it, settling both their hands on his thigh. Katie stirred but didn't waken. Driving toward his mother's compound, holding Katie's hand felt right. His world seemed to right itself just a little bit in that moment. If he could close this case and get rid of all reminders of her past, they might stand a real chance.

Piece of cake.

Years of experience in law enforcement told him that nothing was as simple as it seemed. A million things could go wrong. Look what had happened to his cousin Logan and Angelina. They had stumbled into each other's lives only to instantly be on the run when someone in her old life discovered she was still alive. Logan almost lost Angie more than once in those few days. Hell, Kaiden himself had taken a bullet in the last firefight at his mother's place.

It would have been a whole lot smarter for Logan to turn Angelina over to the local authorities and gotten on with his life. A whole lot smarter, but definitely not better. Angie had changed his wayward cousin from a lost soul to a man in love. Logan had totally changed and if Kaiden were being honest, he harbored a bit of jealousy at the happiness Logan now had.

Of course, if Logan hadn't met Angie then he probably would never have met Katie. He wasn't so jealous of his cousin right then. Nope, the jealousy was replaced with peace. He checked his watch, only a couple of hours to Staunton and then another forty five minutes to his mother's place. Then there would be food—Clara James loved to feed guests—followed by questions and explanations. It would be hours before they would be alone again.

Maybe he should pull the truck off the interstate and get them a room somewhere for the night.