Sweet Seduction Surrender (26 page)

Had I been following his rules, I think it would have been inevitable. Maybe it was for the best that I'd disobeyed him this morning. Albeit a refusal to dress in a skirt with no underwear for legitimate reasons. Because Jason didn't attempt to undo my trousers, he didn't make a move to escalate this to anything more intimate than what it already was. He just kissed me like we had run out of time, like the end of the world was here and we had to simply taste each other, because to do more right now was impossible.

There just wasn't enough time to sate that desire, to fulfil our fervent yearning for completion.

He pulled his lips away and rested his forehead against mine, breathing as raggedly as me. His chest was rising and falling hypnotically. His hot breath washed over my face erotically. His strong arms and thighs held me in situ, pinned to the door. His erection pressed firmly and snugly in place at my centre, pulsing with both our need and hunger.

"Kate," he murmured. "Do you see what I mean?"

I huffed out a breath of air in mild confusion and rampant frustration.

"What?" I asked, ineloquently, panting the word out and then sucking in much needed air.

He chuckled, pleased I was as affected as him, no doubt.

"Baby," he whispered, laying a soft kiss on my lips and then pulling his body away from mine completely.

My feet hit the floor on shaky legs as his warmth became only a memory. I struggled to find my balance, making his hands come up and gently cradle my upper arms to steady me. If he did this while we were sneaking into the ASI building I would be worse than useless. I guess that's why he got it out of the way before we left home.

"Kate," Jason said, bringing my dazed gaze back to him. He smirked, clearly enjoying my ridiculously uncontrolled response to his advances. "Do you see what I mean?" he repeated.

"I'm not sure I do, Jason," I admitted, now not only turned-on with no hope of release, but rapidly becoming confused with his repeated question.

"It's simple, Kate," he murmured, chocolate brown pools staring down at me. "You mean the very air I breathe. Without you I will be no more. With you, my world is complete."

I blinked up at him, a little shocked at his sincerity and the depth of emotion lacing his words.

"Baby," he added. "I can face anything with you in my life. You make the darkness recede and the light shine. So," he took a deep breath in, "if it comes down to it, you do whatever you have to do to stay safe. Even if you have to leave me behind."

What?

"Jason," I began, thinking he was making this entire episode out to me more precarious than it needed to be. Sure, Tremayne was probably crazy. Sure, the cops would arrest us and throw away the key if we were caught interfering in a police investigation. Sure, if we didn't figure this out and clear Nick's name an innocent man and his team may be charged with a false crime.

But, none of that leant itself to the level of concern and depth of fear Jason had gracing his handsome features right then.

For a moment I wondered if this was all causing some sort of flashback to when he was in the Army. If he was reading more into this than he should have, because of what he had suffered, and still suffered from, while in the SAS. I didn't have time to think that through to completion, because he cupped my cheeks, leaned down and stared me intently in the eyes and said...

"Understand?"

And whether Jason was losing touch with reality now or not, that one word was all I needed to hear to know I would do anything to ease this broken man's mind.

"Understood," I whispered back and prayed that whatever happened next would not tip Jason over the edge into that dark abyss that seemed to beckon my beloved man.

Anscombe Securities and Investigations was like Fort Knox. I had been aware that Nick ensured his staff were safest when on site at ASI HQ. Surveillance cameras dotted the perimeter and even stood sentinel at differing locations across the street around the entirety of the block the building stood on. All of which could be viewed and directed by Eric in the control room inside. Of course, Eric was not in the control room, he was being questioned about a multimillion dollar burglary at Auckland Central Police Station downtown.

But there was more to contend with than the cameras.

Access was officially gained through the front entrance on street level, or from the garage beneath, up the monitored elevator which was only activated once the person attempting entry was visually approved by Eric in control, and then past a shotgun toting grandma, trained to assess threats and act appropriately with deadly force. And finally via an electronically key-coded titanium strength door. And then all the rooms inside were further controlled by key-code and security cameras.

Take out the cameras and you've gained access, might be a reasonable thought. But all the cameras have secondary back-ups, housed in an isolated and military level secured CPU. As well as scanners available at strategic gateways, which should the cameras and their back-up fail-safes fall, could scan identification directly and send the images to control.

Getting in undetected was impossible. It was what we could do once in there that made all the difference. If Jason had received top level clearance from Nick then he could wipe evidence of our visit completely. If he only received a clearance level that allowed him suitable access to 'radar' then we would be videoed and recorded as having been inside the building. The security system could also accurately display what it is we did, if Jason's clearance wasn't high enough to cover our tracks.

I could only hope that Nick had thought of this, but considering his recent relationship with Jason, it was not a given that he would allow his ex-employee, who he considered was on the edge of sanity, full admission to ASI's inner workings, records and systems. I had faith Nick was wiser than that, but Jason did not.

"OK, this is how it's going to be," he said from the front seat of his SUV, which was parked several metres down Broadway in Newmarket, in line of sight of the front doors and garage entrance to ASI. The vehicle was out of the security cameras' range, but he handed me a pair of binoculars and a secured walkie-talkie, which obviously was meant to combat the distance our strategic parking had created. "You stay here and keep watch. I go in."

In itself the directive and his assessment made sense. But of course, my heart was unable to comprehend that.

"No," I said, trying to hand the binoculars and walkie-talkie back.

Both items got pushed back into my lap forcefully.

"What did I say, Kate?" Jason growled, one hand already on the door handle to the car, the other holding the items in my lap still, for fear I'd throw them back. Another good assessment.

"I should go with you," I offered, holding his irate glare.

He blinked once, sighed, then said, "OK. In the interest of moving this along as quickly as possible, so we can get our arses out of here before we're seen. How do you think coming with me will improve our chances of getting in and out undetected?"

"Well," I said, then couldn't think of a suitable argument to offer.

He was right of course. Me going with him wasn't strictly necessary to the successful outcome of this venture. But my heart was telling me he shouldn't be alone. What if he had a flashback in there? What if he needed me and I couldn't get inside to help him out?

I couldn't say any of this aloud. First, he'd deny he had any problems. He may even accuse me of being overprotective like Nick and Dom. And secondly, I wasn't entirely sure if he was having flashbacks. If he was, in fact, on the edge of sanity due to his experiences in the armed forces. I was only speculating, trying to understand his need for control and Nick's insistence that Jason was on the verge of something disastrous.

I didn't have an answer and my gut wasn't giving me any clues. I simply didn't know.

What it boiled down to was, did I trust him to get this done, or not?

I looked into his eyes and saw his desire to get this onerous task completed. I saw his concern for me. For my safety, for my hesitation to follow his command. I saw his strength of character, his ability to take charge and effect an outcome with a natural leader's grace. I saw his heart; the part of him that loves me beyond measure. The part of him that would do all of this for a man who had pushed his emotional buttons intentionally and held his job over his head in an effort to make Jason walk away from something he wanted above all else. Who had made Jason's imperfections public knowledge.

"Are you doing this for me?" I asked, trying to work out if that was why he'd risk arrest.

"Of course," he said, without hesitation. And then surprised me by adding, "And because Nick didn't do this. He's being accused of someone else's crime."

And that's all he needed say, to make me realise that Jason Cain was not the product of his broken pieces, he was the sum of all of him. His compassion, his strength, his control, his experiences, his heart. Jason might have a past that threatened
something
in him, but it didn't necessarily mean it threatened his mind, his sanity. His ability to act appropriately and assess a situation he was trained to handle correctly. His control.

This was what Jason was meant to do. This stealth and infiltration he was about to undertake was as much a part of him as his ability to love me. Jason was not perfect, parts of him were broken. But it was his imperfections that made him perfect to me.

"OK," I said, gathering up the binoculars and walkie-talkie. I placed the walkie-talkie next to me in the centre console, within easy reach, and lifted the binoculars to my eyes to scan the ASI building and see if there were any potential threats. "I'll let you know if I spot anything," I added.

He didn't move. My hand held the binoculars still before me, but I twisted my head to meet his gaze. He was smiling. That smile he only lets out, now and then, and which I think might just be all mine.

"Kate," he said in a low and delicious silky voice. "I love you."

"And I love you," I whispered, tears openly pooling in my eyes. He noticed.

"Don't just watch the building," he said after a short pause, changing the atmosphere in the car to one of business. "Watch the entire street as well. Even behind you. Every three minutes, you do a scan of your environment. Reassess threats. Just because I'm going in there does not mean you are safe."

I nodded, wishing we could skip forward an hour and bypass this adrenaline fuelling next sixty minutes.

"Good," he announced with a nod of his head, and then he was gone. Out the door, striding up the street, blending in with the Newmarket shoppers and almost disappearing from sight, if I hadn't been following his very fine arse so closely.

Twenty minutes later and I had disgustingly chewed several nails down to skin. Jason had confirmed he was inside ASI offices and had top level clearance  - thank you Nicky - but had been silent ever since. I wanted to call out to him, but feared I'd distract him, or place him in harm's way for some reason. So I had bitten my nails, scanned my environment and found nothing out of place, and simply waited.

I hadn't realised I was an impatient person. But this angst was debilitating almost. It had me doing unnecessary things, like checking the volume on the walkie-talkie fifty times. I also considered that I could just phone Tremayne. Get in touch with the man to show my concern. Wouldn't he have expected me to call when I found out the showroom had been burgled? Wouldn't it make sense if I contacted him and surreptitiously drilled him for information?

Of course my ability to be surreptitious right now was debatable. Just ask the walkie-talkie. But the longer it took for Jason to provide an update, the closer I came to picking up my cellphone and just dialling Richard Tremayne, demanding to know why the bastard had implicated Nick and myself in this crime.

Instead I dialled Detective Pierce.

One would think, while I was performing look-out duties as my ex-military lover broke into a security firm under current investigation for a crime by the Police, that I wouldn't draw said Police's attention to me. Maybe it wasn't Jason's sanity that should have been in question, but mine.

"Ryan Pierce," came down the line after the ringing tone had sounded three times.

"Detective Pierce, this is Katie Anscombe."

"Katie?" Ryan said, sounding surprised to hear from me. I then heard shuffling of material, indistinct voices and the slamming of a door. Followed by an echoing silence that led me to believe Pierce had vacated an occupied room and was now alone. "How can I help?"

I smiled. Ryan was always so ready to offer a hand, even when he knew he shouldn't.

"Have you located Richard Tremayne yet?" I asked, and heard Pierce suck in a deep breath.

"Yes and no," he finally admitted, but didn't say more.

"Ryan," I said, in my most determined voice, "I don't have time to play guessing games. My brother is being accused of a crime he didn't commit and I've had a shit of a month. So please, what does 'yes and no' actually mean?"

"Shit of a month, huh?" Ryan mumbled. "All right, but Katie, you didn't hear this from me."

"Of course, darling."

"We touched base with him via phone to advise of the theft, he agreed to return to Auckland on the next available flight. We have him boarding in Queenstown and exiting the plane in Auckland, but since then, nothing."

"What time-frame are we talking about, Ryan?"

"The plane landed at ten this morning." I glanced at my watch. It was already two in the afternoon. No wonder I was famished.

I rubbed my empty belly while I contemplated what this news meant. If Tremayne was playing along to continue his cover, then he would have gone directly to the Police. Which he didn't. So, he was either giving up on the charade - but then why return at all? - or something had happened to waylay him.

"You do realise this could all be an insurance scam," I offered.

"It had crossed our minds, but..." he paused, reconsidered whatever he was going to say, then said, "We do know how to investigate a crime, Katie."

I almost rolled my eyes at his imperious tone.

"Of course, darling," I said placatingly. "But Nick didn't do this and you know that, don't you?"

"What I know as a person and what I know as a cop are two entirely different things."

I didn't like the sound of that.

"Something's happened to Tremayne," I said, admitting my thoughts out loud.

"If it has, we have no evidence of foul play," Ryan offered.

"You think he's intentionally been waylaid?" I asked.

"That's one way of putting it. But our current official position, again you've not heard this from me, is that something mundane has delayed him and he will no doubt appear before close of business today. He was not legally required to come directly to the Police Station upon landing in Auckland," he pointed out.

None of it made sense, though. If Pierce was correct, Tremayne was dealing with something willingly before he approached the Police. A delay could be attributed to any number of plausible legal things, as Ryan had insinuated. But if I'd had six million dollars worth of goods stolen, I would be hounding the Police in person until they found my property and returned it to me. Tremayne was not. So, what was he doing?

Fencing the goods? Dealing with a hitch in his supply chain? Covering his tracks elsewhere before the Police turned their attention on him as a suspect? Creating more false trails to ASI and Nick?

"Do you have anything for me, Katie?" Ryan asked, interrupting my train of thought.

My eyes flicked up the street. It had been more than three minutes since I'd done my last scan and I quickly fumbled with the binoculars to ascertain any threats that may have occurred while I was distracted. Ten heart palpitating guilty seconds later all was still clear.

"No," I said a little breathlessly down the line. "Unfortunately, not as yet."

"You sound like you're under pressure, Katie," Pierce pointed out. I sucked in my breath and held it. Now would not be a good time for him to go all chivalrous on me. Ryan had a tendency to want to rescue damsels in distress. "I think it might be best if we ring off here. Let you concentrate on whatever it is you're doing," he finally suggested.

"Good idea," I said, still not breathing.

"You take care, now. You hear?" he said. I just nodded, which of course he couldn't see. But thankfully he didn't wait for a reply and just disconnected the call.

A rush of air left my lips and had me panting for the next lungful in.

Which segued into a yelp as Jason opened the driver's door and slid into his seat.

He took one look at me and then started the car without a word. Once we were several hundred metres past ASI he murmured, "You look guilty, Kate. What did you do?"

"What did you do?" I returned. "Er, find, rather."