Sacrifice Love: Saints Protection & Investigations (26 page)

Screaming his name as her world exploded in a shower of sensations, sparks flew out from her core in all directions. Boneless, not sure she could move, she floated on her cloud until she felt the mattress shift as he sat up next to her. Lifting her head, she admired the physique towering over her. She would never get tired of seeing him naked, his muscular body proudly on display. Over six feet of sinew honed from years of hauling equipment. Equipment that took him to the brink of disaster—willing to give the ultimate sacrifice to save others.

Chad observed the flush of satisfaction move over her chest and face. Staring into her green eyes, he saw her languorously lift her arms to him once more, this time wanting all of him, not just the pleasure he gave her.

Crawling up her body, with the scent of her sex filling the air, he lowered his hips between her legs, his dick straining to enter her as though it had a mind of its own. Eyes on hers, he held her gaze, marveling that such a perfect creature wanted him. Her pale complexion was reflected in the moonlight shining through the windows. Her shiny mass of thick hair lying on the pillow.

“I love you, Dani,” he whispered. “I think I’ve loved you from the moment I first saw you.”

“I feel the same,” she replied. “You know…this isn’t new. So going slow doesn’t make a lot of sense.”

He silently listened, not knowing where she was going, but cocked his head in question.

Licking her bottom lip as she continued, she said, “You’re right, Chad. We both fell for each other over a year ago. We got to know each other. Spent a lot of time together. We…lost our way, but have found it again.”

“What are you saying, babe?”

“To hell with going slow. I want you, in my life. In my baby’s life. I want to make a life with you. Having you back has only brought that to the forefront. I want all of you with all of me.”

Instead of moving toward her, he rolled over and reached into the drawer of his nightstand, pulling out a jeweler’s box, hearing Dani gasp beside him. Her eyes were wide as he rolled back toward her and popped open the lid, showing off the exquisite engagement ring nestled inside.
I never planned on doing this now when we’re both naked in bed…but maybe the timing is perfect after all.

“The middle diamond was my grandmother’s. She gave it to me, with her blessing. I had it reset with the other smaller diamonds around.” His voice shook with nerves as he held her gaze. Taking the ring out of the box, he reached for her hand and slid it on. “Danielle, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife? Allowing me to love you for the rest of your life? Allowing me to become the father of your baby?”

Her breath caught as the moonlight glistened off the ring and the shaking fingers of the man holding her hand. Her chin quivered as she sucked in her lips to keep the tears at bay.

“Don’t leave me hanging here, babe,” he commanded in a whisper.

Swallowing deeply, she smiled. “Yes, yes, and yes!” she said, jerking her hand out of his so that she could cup his face and pull him in for a kiss.

Grinning, he kissed her, plunging his tongue in once more while also sending his straining cock deep inside her, fully seating himself in one thrust. Her hips moved upwards to meet his as his thrusts became more forceful. With wild abandon, he pumped furiously as though reaching for a secret place inside of her that he wanted to touch. With that intensity, it did not take long until she was screaming his name as her climax roared through her.

He thrust until her pussy had stopped milking him, then he quickly pulled out, much to her dismay. Before she could question him, he said, “Babe, want to take you from behind. Are you okay with that?”

Her brilliant smile was his answer and he moved her over onto her stomach gently before grasping her hips to pull them up and back. He shifted to place a pillow under her hips, seeing to her comfort.

“You sure you’re okay?” he checked.

She cried out, “Yes, now hurry!” desperate for his cock again.

He chuckled again as he thrust his engorged dick into her waiting core, hearing the moan escape from her lips.

This angle brought new sensations as her world tipped on its axis. His fingers gripped her hips, digging in to hold her as he thrust faster. She rocked back and forth as his body drove into hers, over and over. She loved the friction inside but wanted to feel the sensations on her clit. Slowly moving her hand down between her legs, she fingered herself.

“Oh, babe. Seeing you touch yourself is gonna make me harder,” he panted between thrusts.

Sliding her fingers back to her clit, she rubbed and pulled on the swollen nub, the tingling indicating her orgasm was near.

Wanting her to come again before he did, he reached around tugging gently on her sensitive nipple, sending her moaning.

“Are you close, babe?” he asked roughly.

“Yes,” she panted. “Yes, yes.” The gripping sensations from her pussy were sending sparks outward as the pressure began to build. Her hands went back to the bed as his hard thrusts pushed her forward.

Her sex convulsed around his cock and with a few more thrusts he gave over to his own release. Head thrown back, thick neck muscles straining, he pulsated into her waiting body, experiencing a release unlike any he had ever felt in his life.

They both fell forward onto the bed, his large body moving to the side protectively, pulling her back to his front. Sweating and breathing heavily, Chad never felt so sated in his life. Pulling her hair back, exposing her neck, he nuzzled her soft skin.

She twisted in his arms, facing him as his arms snaked around her body, holding her closely. He peered into her green eyes, searching their depths and finding…love.

Reaching up her small hand to cup his strong jaw, she gently rubbed the stubble. “When we’re here, like this…when I’m in your arms…I can pretend nothing else is swirling around us. Nothing can touch us.”

“Nothing will ever touch you, babe. I promise.”

She held his gaze for a moment, hiding her thoughts about Adam, not wanting them to intrude on what she and Chad experienced. But she knew, as much as she cared for Adam, she did not love him. And he never promised her more than just taking care of her.

“I love you,” she whispered. “Like I’ve never loved anyone else before in my life.”

Chad understood what she was giving him. True love. Not based on need…or circumstances…or feeling trapped. But true love.

He closed his eyes momentarily, realizing once again how lucky he was. “Love you back, Dani. Forever.”

The moon moved across the sky, blanketing the couple in shadows as they lay tangled in the sheets. Her body half draped over his, he pushed her hair back from her face. With her head on his shoulder, he smoothed his hand over her body, ending at her protruding stomach. His long fingers splayed out over the area that nestled their baby.

M
itch waited impatiently
for the video-conference to begin as all of the Saints gathered. It did not take long for Luke to decipher Adam’s coded notebook. To save time, Chad took pictures of the pages from the notebook and sent them to Luke early that morning to give him a chance to begin his intel as soon as he arrived at the compound.

“He used a very elementary system of exchanging letters and numbers, which would not fool anyone for long but would have the effect of appearing like jibberish to anyone just happening upon the book.”

“So, do we know what he was into?” Chad asked, tension rolling off him.
I thought I knew him. He had my back when we went into danger. How the fuck could I not have known him?

“Basically, it’s a type of diary he seemed to keep.” Luke stopped and stared at Chad for a long moment. “Man, I don’t think it’s good news.”

Chad’s face, set in stone, was indecipherable to the casual observer, but his friends saw the flash of anger in his eyes.

“It seems he entered a dating site and was contacted by some people he kept track of.”

The air in the room chilled to sub-zero. No one spoke. No one moved.

“He entered a dating site while married to Dani?” Chad asked, each word slowly punched out, his heart pounding as his chest hurt. Actually hurt.
Jesus, I can never let her know this.

“Here’s what’s crazy,” Luke said. “He entered under a false name. He used his first and middle name only. Adam Jackson. The account has been deleted but I’m working to see if I can get my hands on the substance of his encounters.”

“What site?” Mitch asked.

Luke sucked in a breath before letting it out slowly. “Geeks2gether.”

Once more, the silence in the room was deafening as the Saints looked at each other in surprise.

“Why the hell would he do that?” Blaise asked. “It makes no fuckin’ sense.”

Shaking his head, as it felt ready to explode, Chad replied, “Damnit! Adam was such a jokester. Always trying to be the center of attention.” Rubbing his hand over his face, he said, “How he could have gotten involved in this…” His mind reeled at the implications.

“Dani?” Jack prompted.

“No fuckin’ way. Jesus, I’ve got to keep this from her. They might not have had a marriage of love, but it was built on mutual respect and friendship. She trusted him.” Leaning back heavily in his seat, his heart was heavy as his rage began to build. “Whatever he was doing, he put her at risk and that is fuckin’ unforgivable.”

Luke, catching Jack’s eyes, nodded and proceeded carefully. “The best I can tell from the few pages is that he met a woman online named Sabah Masrah—”

“Fuck!” Mitch cursed. “That a name that’s come across our desk as a local recruiter. Or at least she’s being used that way. Hell, she might not even be a real person or a real woman.”

The expletives resounded around the table as each man felt the punch of Chad’s friend being in contact with a known ISIS recruiter.

Luke responded quickly, “He never mentioned meeting her personally.” He sent Chad a glance but, seeing his friend’s lips pressed tightly in anger, he continued. “Adam noted when he had online chats with her. He doesn’t say what the chats were about…so, uh…maybe they were…uh…just chatting.”

“You think that fuckin’ matters? He was on a dating chat-line while married! While I can’t see Adam looking for a date on a geek site, he was either being recruited or cheating on Dani. Either one sucks.”

“Look, maybe he was getting in over his head and that’s why he kept notes. I mean, he left a trail for Dani to find,” Jude argued.

“Uh…there’s more,” Luke added, his expression a mixture of hard…and despondent.

“Oh, Jesus, I don’t know how much more I can take,” Chad said, putting his elbows on the table and resting his head in his hands. After a moment, he sat up and pierced Luke with a stare. Nodding, he gave his approval to continue.

Luke flashed new information onto the screen on the wall. “A bank account. With only Adam Jackson’s name on it.”

The Saints turned their questioning gazes back to Luke. “He set this up about six weeks before he died. The money’s still there. He opened the account at a different bank than what he and Dani used. She would have no idea it’s there.”

The men visually scanned the cash deposits; a thousand dollars each week. For six weeks. Stopping the week he died.

“What does this mean?” Bart asked, his eyes turned toward Chad.

Chad shook his head, saying nothing…feeling everything.

“Until that piece of evidence,” Jack said, nodding his head toward the wall screen, “I thought Adam got in this as a joke, got caught up in something and it went too far.”

“And now?” Mitch prodded.

“Man, I’m sorry, Chad,” Jack continued, “But if that account means what I’m afraid it does…if he took money from them…he’s guilty.”

Heart pounding, Chad felt his throat closing up. “Why would he keep written notes? Why the fuck would he leave them there for Dani to find?”

“It leads her to the bank account. He has her listed as the beneficiary. Since she never knew about it, then she’d have no reason to go to close it out,” Mitch surmised.

“What about the rest of the notebook?” Jude pressed.

“He’d already told her to go to Chad. Maybe he realized his days were numbered if they found out he wasn’t who he said he was. Maybe the explosion he walked into was aimed at him. Maybe it was called in, on his watch…just for him to respond. And if he thought things might happen, he wanted someone to know.”

Once more, silence reigned in the compound. Luke’s fingers were stilled over his keyboard. Chad’s mind raced, thinking of the man he knew. The man he called a friend.
Please, Adam, let us find something that lets us know what you were doing. You couldn’t have been a traitor, so what the fuck were you up to?

Finally looking up at Jack, he asked, “So what now, boss? Where does this leave us?”

“Chad, we understand you weren’t in close contact with Adam at that time, but do you have any idea who he might have talked to? Another ATF agent?”

He thought a moment and said, “Dani mentioned a couple of our former friends he would hang out with, go drinking with. I saw two of them at the funeral.”

“Talk to them,” Jack said. “Find out if they knew anything to give us an idea of what he was doing.”

“Jesus, this is still fucked up!” Marc cursed. “I don’t see what kept him in with this…the money wasn’t that good.”

“Blackmail,” Mitch said, gaining everyone’s attention. “Same as what they use for the recruits who work on their computer programs. If they discovered he was an ATF agent, they could have blackmailed him into giving them information…or turning a blind eye. Otherwise, they could release his name in documents, obliterating his career and security clearance.”

“Right,” Jack said, pulling the meeting back to order. “Marc, you go with Chad. I want two of you on Adam’s friends. Luke, get the names from Adam’s book and send everything to Mitch. We’re not investigating them, just turning them over to the FBI.”

“There appears to be only one other name mentioned. Adam noted having an online chat with someone named Fazan.”

“Fazan?” Mitch asked, his voice strident and eyes wide. “Fuckin’ hell, If this is the same Fazan, he is one of the leaders of the ISIS cells recruiting in Virginia. Luke, get me everything you’ve got. The FBI is putting this on our highest priority.”