Secret Agent Boyfriend (16 page)

“I think Miss Adair has been rather accommodating, Leo. Are you done with her?” Derek said.

“Actually, I think I can resolve this misunderstanding.” Landry laid a hand on his arm. “I don’t know why I didn’t think of it sooner. My car has the latest in GPS technology. Derek punched in the coordinates for me to the hotel and hit Start on the navigation instructions. There’s a time stamp there that should be easy enough to verify.”

The slightest smile played about Leo’s lips before he nodded. “If we can get your permission on that, I can have a tech check it out and get you on your way.” Leo’s gaze was pointed. “Both of you on your way.”

* * *

Derek hadn’t managed to shake the vague sense of embarrassed shame that had dogged him since Landry arrived at headquarters, but he’d added frustration and anger to the mix.

What had Mark been thinking?

If Derek were honest with himself, he knew Mark didn’t live and breathe the job like he did. Hell, few people lived and breathed the job like he did, and Derek had accepted long ago that wasn’t a shortcoming in others.

“You haven’t said much.” Landry took a sip from a diet soda she’d picked up when they stopped for fast food for the drive back. Her half-eaten burger still sat in the console between them, neatly wrapped.

“I’ve got a lot on my mind.”

“That seems to be going around.”

The dry notes of her voice faded into the space between them like dust. “Want to talk about it?”

“Yes, but I want to hear what happened first. I played along with your boss but I want to hear it from you.”

“Would you believe me if I said I don’t know?”

“Yes.”

That one word—sincere and absolute—did more to assuage the roiling storm inside than anything else could have.

She believed in him.

The same clarity that had assailed him as she drove away from the drop site came back once again and he reached for her hand. She linked their fingers, and the physical show of support was as welcome as her simple words.

Words. Actions.

The thought stuck—took root—and Derek turned it over in his mind. Mark’s words didn’t match his actions. And as he sifted through the past few months in his mind, he realized that Mark’s actions had been off for a while.

“Come on, Derek. Walk me through it. Explain it and maybe it will make more sense to you, as well.”

The retelling of the previous evening took nearly the entire drive to Adair Acres. Landry had stayed quiet throughout, stopping him only a few times to ask questions. And as they drove through the gates that bore the double
A
s, Derek was surprised to realize how therapeutic it was to talk through the events with someone else.

“Thank you.”

“For what?” The afternoon sun was high and she shielded her eyes as she drove down the long, winding driveway.

“You made me walk through it, step by step. Leo was so busy pressing for details it made it impossible to think through the small impressions that mean as much as the large ones.”

“There’s something else.” Landry nodded before pulling into a space near the garages. She turned toward him and took his hands in hers. “Rena wasn’t there. I think you need to accept that she might be gone.”

The swift sucker punch to the gut had him dragging his hands away as her words stole into his mind like a thief. “We just haven’t found her yet.”

“Derek. Look at the circumstances. That child’s been used as bait, but have you really seen her?”

“Mark’s got intel that has put her in each of the locations we’ve monitored.”

“Mark. There you go with Mark again. Why the hell can’t you see he’s the problem? Did you gather the damn intel yourself?”

“He’s my partner. I trust him to gather as much of the information as I do.”

“But you haven’t gathered anything since you’ve been on leave. It’s been all him.”

Derek slammed out of the car, his frustration mounting to the point he needed out of the SUV.

He knew Landry wasn’t responsible for the situation he found himself in. He was still figuring out exactly how
he
himself was responsible for all the strange twists and turns that had sent the Frederickson case off the rails. But he also knew he didn’t need her poking holes in the things he was sure of.

“I’m on a leave I didn’t ask for, playing babysitter, so I’ve used the resources at my disposal. Namely my partner.”

The babysitter arrow was out of the quiver before he could pull it back, and now he had to watch it pierce Landry’s chest. Something cold and dark settled in her vivid blue eyes, turning them to ice. “I wasn’t aware I was such an imposition.”

“Damn it, Landry—” He broke off, well aware he had no excuse for the remark.

Or the bad behavior.

“The remark wasn’t directed at you.”

She put up a hand as he moved closer. “I’m not interested in talking to you right now.”

Her body language was an even more effective deterrent than her words and Derek took a step back.

“I need to take care of some responsibilities this afternoon. I’ll see you at dinner.”

“Of course.” He knew an apology was in order, but he also had the good sense to know it wasn’t going to be well received, so he let her walk away.

She’d nearly reached the kitchen entrance to the house when she stopped and turned. “Whatever he once was, that man is not your partner.”

* * *

Mark parked the government-issued piece he’d restored in the garage he rented for storage. The thing was a pain to maintain, but it sure did come in handy.

Just like last night.

He’d left the car in a visible place and knew Winchester would take the bait. Backup.
Yeah, right
.

He still couldn’t believe how smooth and easy things had gone. The frantic calls, setting up the op. Even dragging Big Al to the warehouse hadn’t taken too long. The guy had struggled but he’d managed to subdue him.

Headquarters had taken longer than he’d have liked but all in all, even that went according to plan. Leo had chewed him out for giving Derek intel on the case when the man was supposed to be on leave, blah, blah, blah.

Whatever.

Fortunately the death of Big Al had provided a sizable diversion and the ass whipping had been minimal. His airtight story and the manufactured notes he’d created on the case had helped seal the deal.

Just doing my job, boss. Can I help it Winchester’s obsessed with the Frederickson case?

Obsessed was right. And that obsession was going to be the end of Derek Winchester.

He pulled out his phone and hit Sarah’s number. The soft strains of her voice lit him up inside, tightening his gut with need. “Did you hear anything? I’ve been so worried.”

“Sorry it took me so long to call. It was a bad night, babe.”

“What happened? Is it Derek?”

The ball of need that pulsed for her, desperate to make her his own, morphed into something raw and ugly. “Derek’s in trouble, Sarah.”

“What happened?”

“He shot the perp. The one we’ve been after for Rena. Killed the poor sucker.”

“What?”

He walked her through his version of the story—the same one he’d shared with the office brass—adding his own concerns about Derek’s mental health in this retelling.

“I don’t believe it.”

“Come on, Sarah. We’ve talked about this one. Derek’s out of control and his vengeance over that kid knows no bounds.”

“Has she been found yet?”

Mark imagined his next stop and caught himself before the smile on his face could reflect in his voice. “No. Not yet. Perp keeps playing us with just enough information to get excited.”

“And now there’s no perp.”

Her use of the word was a surprise. Normally she shunned any and all police talk, so the question had him stumbling. “No, there’s not.”

“What about the people he works with?”

Mark forced a light tone, well aware the seething in his gut would come through if he didn’t play his comments correctly. “When did you suddenly get so interested in this case?”

“I’m not. I mean—” She broke off. “I’ve just had a lot on my mind.”

“Want to tell me about it?”

“It’s just...I’ve been so alone lately. And I can’t help wondering if I made a mistake.”

“Mistake?” A hard bite edged his words and Mark fisted his free hand on his knee, willing the anger out of his voice.

Mistake?

When the hell had she suddenly changed her mind?

“Well, yeah. I mean, I know Derek wasn’t there for me but, well, maybe I was too hasty.”

“And his mental health? Are you willing to simply overlook that?”

“Ye... No.” She wavered before speaking again. “No, I’m not.”

“The Bureau’s a tough life when you make it your whole life. Derek didn’t put you first, and you deserved to be first.”

“You’re right. I know you’re right.” Sarah heaved out a heavy breath, her voice stronger when she spoke. “Of course you’re right.”

“You want me to come over?”

“Not tonight, I’m tired. It was a long day at school and the kids were a bit out of control with spring fever. Want to meet for a movie this weekend?”

“I’d like that.”

Mark disconnected after their promise of where to meet. Although their meeting was a bright spot, her sudden softening over Derek was a concern. He was so close with Sarah he didn’t have time for her second thoughts.

An image of Derek where he sat under a street lamp, ensconced in the car with Landry Adair, drifted through his mind. He thought Rena was the key to getting rid of Derek Winchester once and for all, but maybe he’d been too quick to judge.

As he climbed in his car, Mark mapped out his next steps. It looked like Rena Frederickson might be getting another roommate after all.

Chapter 16

L
andry paced her sitting room, the wine in her glass sloshing from side to side as she walked.

Babysitter?

Was that really how he saw her? How he saw his time here at Adair Acres?

She knew he was disillusioned about his forced time off from the Bureau and the difficulty with his current case, but Derek Winchester had no right.

No
freaking
right.

She took another sip, surprised to see how much she’d drunk already. She wasn’t a lush and didn’t view alcohol as the answer to her problems, but, well...a girl was entitled to a bit of a wine bender every now and again. Especially when the cause of said bender was a stubborn, gorgeous, pigheaded man who couldn’t see past the end of his very strong, attractive nose.

And when had she decided he had a handsome nose?

Landry glanced down at her glass, then resumed her pacing. Maybe she had had a bit more than she’d thought.

“Hi.”

The reason for her pacing stood in the arched doorway that set off her sitting room from her bedroom. Her gaze zeroed in on his nose quite before she could stop it.

Yep. Strong, firm and gorgeous. Just like the rest of him.

“Why are you in here? I had my door closed.”

“I figured after the way I left things I should take my chances and just come in.”

“Well, you can head right back out the way you came and go away.”

“I’d like to talk to you.”

“I’m not ready to talk to you.”

He strolled into the room, looking for all the world like the king of the manor. She saw where he stopped and lifted the wine bottle from the coffee table, holding it up to the light to see how much was still in the bottle.

“You’re welcome to what’s left.”

“Oh, don’t let me stop you.”

The thread of amusement underneath his words nipped at her heels. “You can stay or you can go but you will not sit here and laugh at me.”

“I’m not laughing at you.”

“Nor will you be amused at my expense.”

“What if I’m amused at my own?”

She stilled, curious. “What?”

“I realized something yesterday and I was too big of an ass to remember to tell you.”

Landry wasn’t sure if it was the wine or the sudden tension that gripped the room, but she had trouble catching her breath as his gaze lasered on hers. Those dark, fathomless pools gave nothing away. Instead, they dragged her in and under, holding her still in their spell.

“What’s that?”

“I love you.”

Landry stilled all the way, her body nearly going numb at his words, until her gaze dropped from his to the wineglass in her hand. A wash of emotions—happy, sad, euphoric, angry—slammed into her from every direction and she desperately sought to grab on to one to find some purchase from the storm.

With surprisingly steady movements, she set the wineglass on the coffee table, then whirled on him in a flash.

“You love me? Because you have a damn funny way of showing it.”

“I know.”

“And now here I am, half drunk on wine and anger, and you try to tell me you love me? Way to ruin it, Winchester! Where are the flowers? The moonlight? The freaking candles!”

She caught the screech in her voice and dropped it as tears balled in her throat. “And why am I yelling at you when you said the most lovely thing?”

A hiccup had her gasping for breath as another hard wave of tears fell. Before she could say anything else, Derek had pulled her up in his large arms, his hands smoothing over her hair.”

“Shhh. Shhh, now.”

“You told me you love me and I’m ugly crying.”

“You’re what?”

“Ugly cry—” She broke off and swallowed around another lump of tears. “Never mind.”

“You’re beautiful. Even when you cry.”

“I’m no—”

Her protest was smothered by his mouth, the tight press of his lips simply stealing her breath.

She sank into him, the moment as powerful as he was. As powerful as the feelings that had sparked to life between them in such a short period of time.

How had it happened? As fast as a blink and as powerful as a hurricane.

And so necessary she needed him the way she needed her next breath.

In some dim, distant part of her brain Landry knew she’d made a muddle of this—as had he—but she couldn’t find a way past the crazy, desperate need to kiss him back.

He was safe. And he was here with her.

The endless moments back at the FBI office—and the implications beneath Derek’s boss’s words—had chilled her to the core. Even the anger and frustration that had carried her inside after their fight had been fueled by something more.

Fear.

It consumed her, the reality of what he lived and worked with. The horror of kidnapped children and murdered criminals that now threatened to pull him under, branding him as a criminal, too.

“Landry?” Derek pulled back, his gaze tender as his thumbs grazed over her wet cheekbones. “What’s the matter? You were kissing me back and then you just seemed to disappear.”

“They think you did it.” Her quiet words filled the room, their power louder than a gunshot.

The mouth that had just moved over hers, so lush and rich with passion, firmed into a straight line. “I’ll deal with that.”

“
You’ll
deal with it?”

“It’s my damn job, isn’t it?”

“And I’m the woman you claim to love.”

“Claim?” Another round of flame sparked to life, filling the depths of his gaze. “Do you think I’m lying about my feelings? Using them to manipulate you? Because believe me, I’ve been there. I’ve been the one manipulated and I won’t do that. Ever.”

She saw the hurt as clearly as if she’d struck him, but filed that away for later. They would deal with the lingering specter of his relationship with Sarah, but not now. Not when there was so much more they needed to discuss.

“I think you struggle to share your circumstances at work out of some sense of embarrassed pride.”

“Now you’re a shrink, too?”

“No, I’m just a woman who can see clearly. And that clarity, along with stubborn, boneheaded comments like the one you just made, make it more than evident you’re too close to this.”

“And you think you have the answers?”

“I do know I’m as involved in this as you. I’m here, Derek. And I will help you see it through.”

“The case is my job. You’re my life!”

Raw truth crackled between them and she nearly crumbled right there—nearly gave in and leaped right back into his arms—but something held her back. For once the fear of being alone had faded, overridden by the fear of being with the right person for all the wrong reasons.

“Yet you push me away and compartmentalize that aspect of your life from me.” She took a few steps of her own, backing away from the heat and warmth that beckoned her closer. “You say you love me, yet you want me to know my place.”

“This isn’t 1952, Landry. There is no place.”

“Isn’t there? You can say your attitude’s modern, but it smacks of trying to protect the little woman.”

“This has nothing to do with you being a woman. I’m a trained federal agent. It was irresponsible enough of me to bring you into the city last night. To taint you with the stench of whatever is going on with that case. Hell, with my partner, as well.”

He dragged a hand over his head and ran his long fingers over the short-cropped hair at the crown. “I don’t know who to believe anymore.”

“Believe me. And believe what’s between us.” She moved back into his space and settled her hands on his shoulders, before slipping them up to cup his face. “Believe in us, Derek. Because I love you, too.”

The light in the room seemed to change—soften somehow—as his gaze narrowed on her. Moments rich with emotion welled between them, wrapping them up tight, like the warmth of a roaring fire.

He laid his hands over hers before reaching out to pull her close, pressing his forehead to hers.

“Yes.” His lips followed the whisper, soft and gentle on her forehead. “Yes.”

Once more his lips pressed to hers. And once more, Landry knew the searing ecstasy of being in his arms.

And as the kiss spun out, pulling both of them further and further into the abyss, Landry couldn’t help wondering if it was enough.

* * *

Derek crushed her against him, willing everything he felt inside into the kiss. How could she possibly think he’d prey on her emotions to get what he wanted?

Once again, the evidence of her family’s dysfunction threw a strange, disturbing set of challenges into how they communicated with each other. And he was determined to break down every wall—every single obstacle she could prescribe—to make her see he wasn’t the same.

“I want you.” Landry’s sultry voice banished the thoughts of her family as she ran a line of kisses down his throat and over his chest, easily accessible from the exposed vee of his shirt.

“Landry—” Her name came out on a harsh breath before he pulled her close for another kiss. “It hurts to breathe I want you so badly.”

“Then it’s lucky for us we’re already in my bedroom.” She slipped from his arms, walking backward toward the bed.

Although he’d grown up comfortable, Derek knew the Adairs lived in the rarefied air of true wealth and privilege. While he’d seen firsthand the challenges that lifestyle had created, he had to admit a private wing definitely had its uses. “I do like the privacy here.”

“That makes two of us.”

She already had the thin silk blouse she’d worn up and over her head, and Derek could only stop and stare. Her full breasts pressed against the pale silk of her bra, and his eyes traveled those lush curves before following a path over her trim waist and flared hips.

“Why, I do declare.” Landry cocked a hand on one hip, her smile at odds with the delicate Southern drawl she affected. “I believe you’re speechless.”

“Nearly.” He moved in quick, his arms wrapping around her and pulling her flush against his chest. “Fortunately I still have a few other moves at my disposal.”

“Talk, talk, talk, Mr. Winchester.”

He flicked the hook of her bra, then slid the material off her arms, making quick work of the piece. “Then maybe I should show you.”

His mouth closed over her breast and all he heard was his name, echoing on a long, lingering sigh. It was the last word either of them said for a long time.

* * *

Derek ran a lazy hand over her shoulders, delighting in the simple feel of having her in his arms. The night before played through his mind on a loop, and the simple comfort of holding Landry close and feeling her heartbeat went a long way toward calming his roiling thoughts.

Not that he was any closer to the truth.

Was Mark really behind the killing of Big Al? Derek turned that one over, the question lingering even as he came up with a dozen reasons why it made no sense. What purpose would killing Al possibly serve? The man was a low-level enforcer. Small potatoes, even if he was in the running for scum of the universe.

Nothing added up.

Derek didn’t want to believe his partner was responsible, and not simply from some misguided sense of wanting to be “right.” He cared about Mark. Hell, the man was going to be in his wedding before things had gone south with Sarah. They’d been partners for a long time and he trusted the man with his life.

Had Mark gotten himself into some sort of trouble?

As that idea took root, Derek let it flow, itemizing what he knew about Mark’s lifestyle. To the best of his knowledge, Mark wasn’t dating anyone. He’d never shown signs of having a gambling or drinking problem, but that didn’t necessarily mean anything.

“Mark or Noah?”

Landry’s sleepy voice whispered over his chest on a warm puff of her breath.

“Hmm?”

“You’re lying here thinking about Mark or Noah. I was curious which one.”

At the realization he’d forgotten about Noah in the rush to LA and back, Derek struggled to surface from his thoughts. “It’s Mark. And I should have my mind on Noah.”

“I’d say both are pretty hot priorities.” She patted his stomach before shifting so they could face each other. “And if I were being honest, I’d say I was more than happy for you to get your mind
off
Noah for a while.”

“I know.” He tightened his arms. “Your family’s been through enough. I don’t want to add to that.”

She swirled a soft pattern into his chest with her index finger. “I know you don’t. That makes it easier to bear somehow.”

Derek laid a hand over hers, holding her palm to his chest. He pressed a kiss to her forehead, determined to give whatever comfort he could.

“So what were you thinking about Mark?”

His sigh fluttered the soft strands of her hair. “That it doesn’t make any sense. And that the longer this case has gone on, the less sense it makes. Al, the man who was killed last night, was a low man on the totem pole. A thug, nothing more. Yet he’s somehow the mastermind behind some bigger human trafficking ring?”

“How long have you been following this case?”

“A few months,” he said.

“So why hang on to Rena so long? She would have been held temporarily, then processed for whatever horrors they’d planned, right?”

“Sadly, yes.”

“So why would she still be held captive?”

“I have no idea. But all our intel has suggested there’s been something about this child they’ve wanted to hold on to.”

“But why? To what end?”

Just as during their drive to LA the night before, Landry was engaged in the discussion. Engaged in what he had going on professionally. Engaged in his life. “That’s what’s so impossible. I don’t know.”

“Which is why it all comes back to Mark as the conduit of information.”

Derek nodded, the truth not lost on him. “Even if he is, it’s no excuse for my forgetting about Noah.”

“Let’s just say I’ve done enough worrying for the both of us. In my rush to have our first fight, I forgot to tell you what I found.”

“Found where?”

“The papers we pulled at the Bureau the other day. I took them with me and spent most of my time in the hotel going through them.”

“And?”

“And I don’t think I can pretend any longer that my cousin isn’t really my brother.”