Renewed Faith (CSA Case Files 3 / Military Romance) (25 page)

Kevin spun on his heel, taking Elle by the hand. He didn’t give her time to pull away or speak. She didn’t resist, knowing that Bee had received his message regardless of who’d delivered it. She waited until Kevin opened the door and then situated herself between him and the opening. Crossing her arms in determination, she tilted her head slightly to look him in the eye.

“I had it covered.”

“We’ll talk about it back at your apartment.” Kevin’s jaw twitched. He was as perturbed as she was, but that was just too damn bad. “Get in.”

“At my apartment? Let me get this straight. I do something you don’t like and instead of going ahead with our plans at your house, you’re taking me back to my place?” Elle couldn’t believe Kevin had the audacity to call things off over a judgment she made while she was the one who’d conceded this entire time. “You—”

Kevin moved quickly and before Elle knew it, his hands were firmly cradling her face and his body was melded with hers. Her back was against the seat and she couldn’t move, which was obviously his intention.

“You have a lot to learn, city girl,” Kevin growled, his eyes dropping down to her lips. Elle wanted him to kiss her, to let her know that everything between them was okay. Having come this far, she wasn’t ready for it to be over. “I’m beyond livid at this point that you would carelessly put your life at risk. We’re going to the closest place we can have privacy, which is your place. Then we’re going to have a long overdue talk. Now get your ass up in my truck before I do something else to it.”

Chapter Twenty-Two

K
evin had been in a lot of situations where his emotions were at the height, but nothing had prepared for him to see Elle leaving the club through the main entrance as he’d been about to pull into the parking garage. She hadn’t seen him as she’d been walking in the opposite direction. The stiff way she held herself as she’d marched toward her goal told him that she was resolute in whatever she’d had planned, but nothing had prepared him for what he’d just witnessed. He’d always thought seeing red was an expression, but now he knew better.

The ride to the club passed in silence, for which Kevin was grateful. He needed to get a handle on the rage and terror that was still pulsing through his veins before saying another word. One that he might regret and if he’d learned anything over the course of his family life it was that hurtful words said in anger couldn’t be taken back. It was the same for a Dominant with his submissive, not that they had that type of relationship quite yet. If a submissive deserved to be chastised or punished, it should never be done in anger. He was wise enough to know and heed both.

“You wait for me to come around to your door,” Kevin said quietly as he pulled the truck into the parking garage. He drove slow, taking the time to search the area. Other establishments shared the private garage and the slots were emptying out as the business day ended. “Make sure you have your card key in hand.”

“It’s not like someone is after us, Kevin.” Elle twisted her body so that she was facing him, although he noticed that she slid her hand into her coat pocket and pulled out the access card anyway. “Hash is harmless and was only reporting back to Bee what he saw. You said yourself that you don’t think Bee killed those women.”

“Until I look into it further, we’re not taking any chances.” Kevin pulled in between two yellow lines close to the entrance door and shoved the vehicle in park. “As for me not believing that Bee is the suspect that I’m after, that doesn’t mean he isn’t dangerous. Fuck, the people he surrounds himself with are merciless, only out for themselves. Do you really think it’s wise to go to his place of business and threaten him while the other girls watched? Are you trying to force his hand? The man is a coward, I know, but cornering him is the last thing you should have done. He could make the biggest mistake of his miserable life and try to hurt you. Then I’d go to jail for killing a damn pimp.”

“Is that what you think about me? Or did you forget that I was part of that life?”

Kevin cursed as she shoved the door open and jumped out of the truck before he could turn off the engine. Doing so now, he quickly copied her actions and was at the door before she could she swipe the card through the slot, gaining them entrance.

“That isn’t what I meant and you know it.” This was why Kevin kept his mouth shut when his emotions ruled his head. “Swipe the damn card.”

Elle shot him a glare and did just that, not because he told her to but because it was what she was going to do anyway. She practically stomped up the steps and he used the time she took to gain entrance into her apartment to dampen his rage. She didn’t get the right to have the corner on that emotion when what she’d done was reckless, idiotic, and downright dangerous. It didn’t help that he was too damn young to have a heart attack, but being around her sure as hell upped his chances.

“Feel free to leave.” Elle entered the apartment, not bothering to look back.

“Like hell I’m leaving,” Kevin exclaimed, not believing that she couldn’t see this from his side. He shrugged out of his jacket and threw it toward one of the chairs, not caring that it landed on the floor. If she wanted to have this out now, then so be it. “What the hell were you thinking? Just answer me that, will you? What would possess you to confront a criminal on his turf when you know damn well what he’s capable of?”

“That I’m an adult woman proficient at looking after myself.” Elle reached into her pocket and pulled a switchblade out of her jacket. Kevin stared at it in disbelief. Really? A knife? When she presented a can of pepper spray from the other side, he purposefully put a hand over his mouth and brought it down over his lips to prevent himself from yelling in anger. It was damn hard when she continued to tell him what her intentions were. “He was having Hash and whoever the hell else watch me, Kevin. That’s fucking wrong and you know it.”

“Did you ever hear me say that what Bee was doing wasn’t wrong? My point is that it never occurred to you to call me.”

“I told you before that I appreciated the warning you gave him, but why is this your problem?” Elle yanked her zipper down and took off her coat after setting her items on the table. “I went to the center today and Rachel slipped up, letting me know she knew about you. Us. That means Hash had to have been
in
the garage.”

“Us?” Kevin waited for the word to sink in and considering she said it first, he would think she would get its meaning. He had no such luck and he knew he’d have to push her harder. “That would imply togetherness. You know, a partnership.”

“I know what it means, farm boy.” Kevin would have laughed at her attempt to point out he was a redneck at heart had he not been so fucking pissed off. She risked her life over her inability to commit to something other than herself. Couldn’t she see that? “That still doesn’t give you the right to control every aspect of my life.”

“I don’t control
any
aspect of your life, Elle. At least not yet.” Kevin couldn’t resist that last sentence and didn’t wait to see her reaction. He walked toward her small kitchen and set about making the coffee. She’d mentioned previously that she didn’t have alcohol in her apartment and he didn’t feel like running down to the club. Plus, they needed to talk this through before she reverted back to her old ways. He couldn’t handle that so he tried a different tactic. “When we parted this morning, we were both in agreement that we wanted an exclusive relationship. We even had the week mapped out, considering our hours are somewhat different.”

“Having a relationship doesn’t mean you get to know everything I do,” Elle argued, still standing in the same spot he’d left her. She didn’t seem to know what to do now that he’d taken over her usual nervous activity. “A situation arose, I went to handle it. If you hadn’t shown up, it wouldn’t have ended any differently. Bee would still know that I’m not a pushover and leave me alone.”

“For someone who keeps bringing up her background and experience with the human element, you’re being damn naïve.” Kevin shoved the white filter into the holder and then filled it with grounds. “The reason I warned Bee to stay away from you when you first got out of the business is that scumbags like him don’t like to lose. You leaving caused him to take a hit. As for him biding his time like he has, that’s on me. I should have been paying closer attention. Regardless of the reason, be it he wants you back working for him or he’s angry that you’re stealing more girls away from him, I should have known that Hash was keeping tabs on you.”

“I’m not your resp—”

Kevin had just hit the brew button when Elle started talking, but by damned would he allow her to finish. It took two steps to have her in his arms and have her lips covered with his. By the time he was done claiming her mouth, he had a handle on his patience. At least as much as he would this evening.

“If I was working a case and got hurt, would you not come visit me in the hospital?” Kevin kept his hands on her shoulders, fearful that he would bend and have her over his shoulder and on the way downstairs where he could do wicked things to her until she saw things his way. He knew it couldn’t happen that way, but damn, it would be so much easier. “If I needed help, would you not be there?”

“Of course I would, but I didn’t need—”

“What if you’re right and he is the killer?” Kevin asked, knowing he had to paint a brutal picture for her. “If you had given him reason to suspect you know, which talking to Rachel who puts him at one of the crime scenes regardless if we can prove it or not, then he would have snatched you up as if you were nothing but a scrap of paper. No knife or spray would have kept him from taking you and those people that you once considered friends wouldn’t have said a goddamn word. He would have raped you and then strangled you with whatever he could find and if needed, his bare hands while you struggled for your last breath. I would have found you in some abandoned warehouse with half your clothes torn off and—”

Kevin stopped before revealing too much, not because he didn’t trust her, but because it was his job. There were facts, like the lipstick that was smeared on the two murder victims that weren’t shared with the public and as for Elle, she didn’t need to know the rest. From the way the color faded from her face, he’d painted the picture he’d needed.

“You scared the shit out of me, Elle.” Kevin laid his forehead on hers, needing her to understand the fear that encompassed him when he saw who she’d sought out. “We’ve just started our journey and for you to waltz right up to that douchebag was just too much for me. You aren’t alone anymore. You aren’t and you have to come to terms with that. I’m in your life and you’re in mine. That means us. Together. Partners.”

“I didn’t mean to scare you,” Elle whispered, finally reaching out to him physically. He felt her small hands on his waist and the heat seared into his skin, as if reassuring him that she was all right. “I’m not used to calling someone else when I can—”

“Handle it yourself, I know. But your actions don’t affect just you anymore. Everything you do, every word you say, or action you complete affects me as well. Don’t think I don’t know this is a two-way street. I’ll live up to my end of this bargain, but you can’t shortchange me.”

“This terrifies me.” Elle’s body shook with every word. Kevin couldn’t name the emotion that expanded his chest at her admission. There were a million ways this conversation could have gone, but Elle’s willingness to finally open up to him told him more than those three vulnerable words. “If I call you when I need you and you’re not there…”

“I will always come to you when you call for me.” Kevin wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled Elle tightly to him while lifting her up and claiming her lips once again. Her legs wrapped around his waist and when she tried to take control of the situation, he tangled his fingers in her hair and pulled. The slight gasp that escaped her throat caused him to harden and he wondered how he’d get through the night. Maybe it was time to change tactics once more. “Always.”

*   *   *   *

Elle stood in front of her bathroom mirror and seriously contemplated going downstairs to raid the stash of vibrators that Lauren kept on hand to sell to their customers. She looked at herself with contempt and then yanked her hair back, using a tie to wrap a semi-bun on the top of her head. Kevin had resorted her to thinking about taking matters into her own hands when she’d never had any interest in that before. Sex had always been about work, and this last year she’d just been grateful that she didn’t have to even think about it. Now he had her body on edge with just a kiss. If he wasn’t going to do anything about it, than she just might have to.